[TATW AAR] Tawarwaith

**Astaroth** · May 21, 2009, 11:08 AM

Tawarwaith - Prologue
As the sun was rising in the east, the singing of many birds announced the awakening of the forest. Shy foxes, boars, hedgehogs and even little insects could be seen scurrying under the leaves of Mirkwood's many trees. While the evil had claimed the south of the forest many years ago, the north was still safe. But for how long? Legolas was sitting in a small tree house, many meters above the leaf-covered ground. While he enjoyed the scenery, it also made him sad. What would become of this beautiful place once the elves are gone? Who will protect the animals, the trees, the birds up in the sky and the little worms and insects on the ground? He sighed.
Legolas looked about and the beauty of the endless sea of trees which surrounded him struck him with awe once again. He had been living in this forest for his whole life but it never lost its magic. Then he squinted and glanced south. If his eyes weren't better than those of most living beings, he wouldn't have seen the thin, black column of smoke in the distance, many hundreds of miles away. Dol Guldur, Sauron's fortress in Mirkwood. The evil in the south which had corrupted vast parts of the forest already. Many horrid creatures had begun to settle in Mirkwood's south, orcs not being amongst the most terrifying of them. The forest had once been called Greenwood but evil had given it a new name. Legolas sighed again and slowly rose to his feet. Then he quickly climbed down the tree he had been sitting on, an old elven watchtower, close to the Mountains of Mirkwood. He looked south one last time, then he turned north and began to run.
At midday, Legolas had reached the Woodland Realm, the capital of his people where his father was awaiting him. He rushed through the gates, barely glancing at the guards who greeted him. Taking several steps at once, he hurried through the palace, towards his father's quarters. King Thranduill of the Woodland Realm was sitting at his desk, studying a map of northern Mirkwood and the surrounding plains. Entering the room, Legolas greeted his father.
"Good day, Legolas," responded the elven king. "You seem worried, what is it that you're agonizing over?"
"The evil is growing, spreading all across the forest. Many of Sauron's most despicable creatures have driven the animals away, making the forest a dark and dangerous place. I've heard about giant spiders attacking travellers, orc raiders patrolling near the East Bight and other, unnamed beasts which terrify every living being."
"Yes," Thranduill nodded, "I've heard the same, Sauron's armies are on the march and this is but one of many fronts in the war against the Dark Lord. The forest is being corrupted, slowly but surely. And we're too few to stop him, we cannot drive him out of the forest to restore peace and harmony. The time of elves is over and we can merely defend ourselves."
"But we have to do something, we can't simply surrender the whole forest to the evil in the south! There must be something we can do." Replied Legolas, knitting his brows.
"Maybe there is still hope left, however small it might be," said Thranduill and rose to his feet. "I shall send a messengers to our elven allies in Lothlórien. We can also try to establish a closer connection to Dale and the dwarves. In times such as these, former enemies have to become allies, for else the end of Middle Earth will be certain. Legolas, use the time to prepare our soldiers for war. Dark times lie ahead and I can feel how the enemies have already begun approaching our borders. Muster our army and show the slaves of Mordor that elves have not given up fighting yet!"
"I will do as you wish, father. I shall gather our troops and will establish watchtowers along our borders to prepare for the storm that is coming up. The orcs of the Misty Mountains are reported to become increasingly impudent, raiding the plains between the Grey Mountains and Mirkwood. Until we get a response from Lothlórien, I'll assemble our troops and patrol our borders, establishing watchtowers and hunting orcs that dare to enter the forest." With a last nod to his father, Legolas turned around and left the room, hurrying down the stairs.

Over the following months, the Silvan Elves prepared for war, sharpening their swords and forging new shields and armors. Exercises were held and the elves trained their skills. More and more of them came to the capital from the distant corners of the forest and the size of Legolas's army grew steadily. Eventually, the elven prince decided that the time was ripe. In early spring, his army of over 1,000 soldiers left the capital, marching northbound. The kingdom's borders had to be secured and Legolas was not going to disappoint his people's hopes.

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Hundreds of miles away, Haldir was standing behind a tree on a green hill, watching a nearby village. Smoke was coming out of the chimneys and small figures could be seen outside the buildings. The world was still covered in darkness but dawn was approaching. The time had come. The elders had decided to send soldiers under Haldir's command to finally end the threat of the bandits. The brigands had been raiding the woods of Lothlórien for many months now, capturing and killing several elves and cutting down many trees. The situation was inacceptable and would not be tolerated any longer.

Haldir's face was grim but he was satisfied with his plan. Several dozens of light archers were sent to the back of the bandits' camp but the main force stayed with the elven commander in the nearby hills. The sun rose in the east, turning the grey clouds into shades of red, orange and gold. The time to strike had come. Haldir took his bow, raised it above his head and shot a single flaming arrow into the sky.

Suddenly, dozens of arrows shot through the air, coming from behind the small settlement. Haldir and his men heard the bandits scream and shout with anger. The elf raised his hand and his troops marched towards the village's main entrance. Whilst, the second half of his army kept peppering the brigands with arrows, further increasing their fury. By now, the men had left their houses, armed and ready to punish the elves for the rude awakening. They rushed along the village's main road, bloodthirsty and full of rage.

In their hurry, they didn't notice Haldir's main force which was covering behind some bushes, right in front of the village's main entrance. As the rough and battle-hardened men rushed out into the open, Haldir's men suddenly rose to their feet and drew their bows. Within seconds, hundreds of arrows were released. The bandits' light armor was pierced and cries of agony and pain sounded through their ranks. Confusion and fear spread amongst them and many tried to escape by running back into the camp. Others attempted to find cover behind trees, houses or bushes but it was futile.

Trying to escape, the leader of the bandits was struck by an arrow and collapsed. The streets were now covered in blood and corpses lay everywhere. The bandits had payed dearly for their crimes.

Only a few of them were left by now, hiding in nearby houses. But there would be no mercy, the elders had decided to make an example of these bandits. In order to deal with them, Haldir ordered his spearmen to enter the village. The soldiers obeyed without hesitation. A few isolated shouts could be heard but the fighting did not last long. Soon, it was over.

Hundreds of bandits were dead and would no longer pose a threat to the elves. Once again, the forces of Lothlórien had been victorious. Haldir sighed. It had been a bloody day and several elves had died on the battlefield. But there was little time to mourn the dead. The village would have to be fortified for the Misty Mountains were near and the despicable orcs always ready to strike. Before Haldir's small army had left Caras Galadhon, scouts had brought worrying news from the west. The orcs had become numerous and small raiding parties had been seen near Lorien's borders. There were also stories about mountain trolls, giants and a dark, unnamed evil living deep under the mountains. Haldir knew that today's victory was not an important one. Many battles still lay ahead of him and his men.

To be continued...