THE RED RIDER ; lord of the rings {legolas} ✔

Chapter V

Chapter V

Elrond left us with a week to prepare before we would set out eastward towards the Mordor. Gandalf had informed Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, Mireclya, and I that we would be taking the South Passage towards Mordor.

In this time, Boromir and Aragorn spent many hours teaching the Hobbits to fight. We had been unsuccessful in our hunt to get them small swords, or rather, daggers, in the elves' eyes, so they practiced with wooden swords. We would try to get them weapons during our journey.

Meanwhile, though, I spent all the time I could with Guldurelon, teaching him how to respond to a call I had known that he would always know would be me. I would be taking him with me, for neither he nor I would survive without the other, but the rest of the Fellowship had decided against bringing eleven horses plus Bill the pony, so I would be the only one bringing a steed.

I had figured he wouldn't want to be spending all his time around us, so if he could fidgety, I would release him and call him back when I needed him. This was where we would hit a snag - I needed a sound high-pitched enough for him to detect the vibrations of even when in battle but that I could easily perform without having to stress my lungs or my vocal chords.  I had eventually decided on a typical elvish war-cry in a more vibrating manner with a slight twinge of Sindarin in it. He would understand it and detect it. Now I only needed him to follow it.

Each day, I'd tell him to stay somewhere, go farther and farther away, and call for him to come. Each day I'd go farther than yesterday. He was getting better at it, but I was worried if he would respond to it if he was several leagues away from where I was. I could only put my faith in my horse, for he had been mine for as long as an elvish horse could, and he still had many good years ahead of him.

At sunrise of the last day before we would set out, I decided to go a complete league away from Guldurelon. I opened his stall door, told him to stay, and spent the next few hours traveling out of Imladris and to the pass between the mountains. There, I called for him : "Aï-ah! Tula! Aï-ah!" My call resembled that of a bird, but with the 'come' command, Guldurelon would know that I wanted him to find me. If I only gave the bird call, he would know where I was.

I stood for a few moments, and Guldurelon came thundering through the trees and up to me. I swung on to his back and stroked his muscular neck. "Quel carima, roch'e." I nudged him back towards Rivendell, feeling Guldurelon's power beneath me as he cantered through the forest. I knew that he understood the circumstances, for he, too, could feel the darkness seeping through Middle-Earth. He understood why I needed him to answer the command. I knew he was ready for the quest.

When I arrived back at my round, columned home in Rivendell, I saw Elrohir, Elladan, and Arwen all seated on my porch swing beneath the patio roof. They were bathed in the glorious sunlight of high noon, but their faces were lined with sadness and worry.

I held up a hand to them after removing my cloak's hood. "I know what you're going to say," I told them quietly.

Elrohir stood first, followed immediately by his twin and then his sister. "We're going to say it anyways, mellon."

"It is already done," I said with a hint of sadness in my voice. I suddenly realized that this may be the last time I would ever see my three friends again. "Elrond has agreed to send all eleven of us to Mordor, and we have all sworn to protect the ring-bearer at all costs."

I led the three royals into my household and pulled open the curtains, allowing sunlight to pool into the sitting room. "I am taking Guldurelon."

"He will undoubtedly serve as good protection, Oreldes, but I am more worried for your sanity than your safety," Elladan said with a hint of a smile.