The Price of Impatience

Belegos stalked through the knee-high snow, the white fur that he wore blending perfectly with his surroundings. He was a hunter of great skill and experience, and had travelled through the mountains before. He knelt in the snow and gazed further down the slope, seeing Estarfin clearly, for he was still wearing the black wolf-skin. Belegos shook his head slightly, amazed that the warrior walked forth so brazenly, not even trying to disguise his presence. Estarfin marched straight towards the narrow pass, his attention clearly fixed in front of him, as he had not looked back once. Belegos adjusted his sword-belt, and straightened the white fur that he was wearing before continuing his pursuit.

 

Eventually Estarfin reached the narrow, stony pass. The pass was atop a narrow ridge that ran far into the distance on either side of him. As soon as he arrived, he began to regret his harsh words to his friend. Looking back, he could still see traces of the fire that Belegos had built for him, the only distinct feature in the landscape of snow and ice. He sighed, and wished that they had parted on better terms, but his pride restrained him from turning back. Bringing his attention back to the pass, he looked closely at the surface of the snow, checking for any disturbances or prints. He tried to run through what Belegos had taught him about tracking, how to see patterns where there were no obvious signs. There were no prints in the snow, and no trees or plants grew on the desolate ridge that might bear some marks of goblins passing. He walked to the far edge of the pass, gazing down into the dark ravine that seemed to run the entire length of the ridge, the depth impossible to gauge as the faint light of the moon did not penetrate the gloom. He stood for a moment, dark thoughts passing through his mind as he stared into the abyss, the chill wind whipping his hair in all directions. He looked up in interest as a faint noise sounded over the din of the wind rushing through the ravine.

 

Belegos saw the light from the torches before Estarfin as he was still far back, and higher up the slope, having advanced slowly and cautiously rather than quickly and rashly. He thought of signalling Estarfin to retreat back up towards him, but could not think of anything that would not also give his position away. He could see at least a dozen torches now, illuminating the vile faces of the goblins which carried them. The advance of the goblins continued, and he saw Estarfin finally look up. Hope leapt in Belegos' heart; Estarfin had noticed the goblins in time to retreat. He drew his bow and strung it in one swift, practiced movement, ready to cover Estarfin as he retreated. He took an arrow from his quiver, and rested it upon the string whilst he watched Estarfin frantically looking about himself for a way to safety.

 

Estarfin saw the flickering glow of torches far off, and thought that he could hear the sound of high-pitched goblin voices in the air. He looked about himself quickly, checking where the pass was the narrowest, and where he would be able to hide. He cursed silently for the padded hauberk he wore, being used to fighting in thick plate armour. He knew that he would have frozen before now if he had worn his ancient armour forged in Thargelion, but still he missed it. Without the protection of heavy armour, he would have to take the goblins by surprise in order to slay as many as he could, as quickly as he could. Perhaps that would break their spirit and cause them to flee; they were cowardly things after all. He smiled as he saw a boulder ahead of him, closer to the torches but still out of view. He sprinted towards it, skidding to a halt in cover and pulling his shield from his back. He adjusted his grip on his spear and waited, hearing the goblins coming closer.

 

Belegos could not believe his eyes, shock evident on his face from the severity of the mistake Estarfin had made. The boulder he hid behind would not conceal him once the goblins had walked around it. He had tried to teach Estarfin some of his skills as a hunter, although he did not know how much of it he had heeded. If he thought he would be able to escape the eyes of the goblins behind that boulder, Belegos wondered if he had listened to anything he had said. He knew that Estarfin would be discovered and slain if he remained in his hiding place. He also knew that no other help but his own could come to Estarfin, though his bow would not be able to slay all of the goblins before they overwhelmed him. For a moment he thought of the glittering sword that he carried, but knew that he could not now close the distance in time. He cursed Estarfin under his breath for losing his head and cowering behind a rock, rather than retreating back up the slope. Belegos was no coward however, and would not abandon his friend, no matter the bitter words that had passed between them, or the dreadful foe that was arrayed against them. Checking that his sword was loose in the scabbard, he nocked the arrow onto the bowstring, and began to advance towards the ridge.

 

The evil voices were getting closer, very soon they would pass in front of the boulder Estarfin hid behind and he would be discovered. Taking a deep breath, Estarfin looked up at the stars, partially clouded though they were. His eyes fell upon the Valacirca, visible above the peaks of the mountain in the northern sky. A smile came to his face, and he launched himself over the boulder. He landed heavily amongst the goblins, the point of his shield crunching down onto the shoulder of a torch-bearer, whilst dropping his other shoulder and ramming a goblin full in the chest with his heavy pauldron. He lashed out with a vicious kick, his heavy boot making contact with a goblin and flinging it off of the ridge into the deep defile as a blade scraped across the side of his ribs, leaving a bright line of pain. Recovering, he spun his spear in a wide circle at waist level, leaving deep gashes in the thighs and stomachs of the goblins surrounding him. He stamped down on the neck of a goblin writhing on the ground in front of him, and raised his shield in time to deflect a blow from a cracked wooden club. He smashed the goblin back with his shield, and then used his spear to open it from neck to waist. He had cleared the path around him, and no goblins remained behind him that were of any threat. However, a larger group now faced him, hatred upon their faces and wicked blades in their hands. He had just enough time to plant his feet before the horde of screaming goblins charged.

 

Belegos only just twisted the bow in time. The arrow flew off course, barely missing Estarfin as he leapt over the boulder. He watched in horror as Estarfin disappeared into the middle of the goblins, the bow hanging limply from one hand. With a strangled yell, Belegos dropped his bow and drew his sword, and began sprinting across the snow to his friend, his heart beating fast. The long sword caught the light of the moon and the stars, glittering with a deadly chill. He skidded to a halt on the pass, the white fur lost upon the snow and his green hood down. His long hair was swept away from his face by the wind, and there was a deadly light in his eyes. Seeing that Estarfin still stood somehow, he rushed towards him as the goblins charged.

 

At the last moment before impact, Estarfin slammed the point of his shield into the snow and twisted it, whilst bringing his spear up to chest height. The first goblin hit the shield as it was twisted and stumbled over the edge of the pass, screaming as it fell. Another goblin avoided the spear-thrust of Estarfin and brought a short but heavy blade down onto his shoulder. The pauldron that he wore absorbed most of the damage, but the spear fell from Estarfin's hand as we was driven to one knee. Temporarily unable to use his right arm, Estarfin slammed the shield into the goblin who had struck him, forcing it back a pace and giving Estarfin valuable time to recover. There was no time to retrieve his spear, and so he drew the long dagger from his belt, holding it before him in a shaking hand and hoping that he could take one more foe with him before he was dragged to the timeless prison of Mandos. The goblins screamed in rage as they charged the wounded Elf, but their cries quickly turned to surprise, and then to fear and pain. In a whirl of green and silver, Belegos was suddenly past him, his long sword in his hand and the light of the stars in his eyes. The blade cleaved through two goblins at once, and Estarfin finally saw why Belegos had been inducted into the ranks of Hammer.

 

Belegos raced as fast as he could to Estarfin, seeing him on his knees surrounded by the bodies of his foes. Too many stood against him though, too many. Belegos strode past Estarfin and swung the sword in a wide arc, the blade passing easily through the neck of the first goblin, before passing through the outstretched arm of the next. Belegos had time to bring the sword back into the guard position before the remainder of the goblins surrounded them and pressed in. The combat lasted an interminable age. Belegos hacked with his sword and lashed out with a short curved dagger at all around him, feeling the spray of polluted blood. In return he felt the shallow cuts of blades, the scrape of sharp nails across his skin, and the foul breath of the goblins in his face. He could no longer see or hear Estarfin, he was too busy trying to survive. The crowd of goblins around him thinned, and he swung his sword in a circle around him, clearing a space. He suddenly saw Estarfin in front of him, grappling with a large goblin, clearly the leader of the party judging by its size and the crude iron armour that it wore. Estarfin had lost his shield and dagger in the melee, forced to fight the beast with his fists alone. Belegos returned his gaze to the three remaining goblins around him, and brought his sword to the guard position once again.

 

Estarfin's joy at the arrival of his friend soon turned to grief and rage as Belegos was surrounded by goblins; screaming, hacking and biting. The remainder of the goblins appeared to be attacking Belegos, hoping to overwhelm him before his icy sword could complete its work. A large goblin advanced towards Estarfin however, clearly only choosing to attack now that he was weakened. It leered at him, pulling a wicked-looking mace from a belt, swinging it through the air. Estarfin steeled himself as what must be the leader of these goblins advanced towards him, covered in armour of black iron. Estarfin managed to raise his shield in time to stop the first thunderous blow, and then swung his dagger wildly at the goblin, the point breaking on the thick armour. The goblin laughed, an ugly sound, and swung the mace upwards. Estarfin only just managed to move the shield in time, spinning with the blow and ramming the dagger to the hilt into the goblin's armpit. The goblin dropped his mace at once and let out a wicked howl of pain, but by landing the blow, Estarfin had had to let his grip on his shield go, and the dagger had been pulled from his grasp. Weaponless, Estarfin and the goblin stared at one another, hatred written across both of their faces, teeth bared, fury in their eyes. The world seemed to pause for a moment, and then they attacked.

 

Any ordinary sword would have been notched, or even shattered by now. The sword that Belegos carried had been made in the blessed forges of Gondolin however, and no iron or steel of goblin-make could harm it. He parried another blow, this time from an axe. The impact jarred his arm, already tired from the intensity of the fight. Another strike came at him from the right, this time the blow was deflected, leaving the goblin off-balance. He quickly struck with his curved knife, hammering it into the neck of the goblin. The goblin fell lifeless to the ground, the blade still sticking from its neck. The last two goblins turned to run, clearly knowing they could not overcome the fierce Elf. Before they got three strides however, the first was cloven in two with the sword of Gondolin, and the second was tripped, and fell screaming off of the pass. Belegos took a shuddering breath and whirled around to see what had become of Estarfin. He was standing with one of his boots planted on the chest of the prone goblin, with one of his gauntleted hands in its mouth. He saw Estarfin, with a look of savage glee upon his face, twist suddenly at the waist and shoulder. Belegos managed to turn his gaze aside in time, having no wish to view the grisly spectacle. There was a gurgled cry from the goblin, and then silence, save the constant wail of the wind. Belegos looked back to see Estarfin chuckling to himself, before tossing the lower jaw of the goblin into the ravine. Estarfin grabbed the legs of the goblin leader, and began pulling it towards the edge of the pass. The hunter, too tired to talk, simply nodded and grabbed a goblin by the arms and began to pull.

After several minutes, the pass was clear of bodies, and the elves had retrieved all of their weapons from the slain. "We must get back up the slope" said Belegos to Estarfin, who simply nodded and started walking, using the spear haft as a makeshift walking stick. Belegos shivered from the cold and followed, sweeping his gaze across the snow for his bow and fur. He quickly found the bow, stooping to pick it up from the snow, but he was too tired to unstring it, and simply slung it over his shoulder. He could not find his fur however, and so simply wrapped his hooded cloak tighter about himself as he trudged up the slope. He looked for Estarfin, but he was far ahead, not having stopped to help him with his search. Belegos saw the black fur flapping around Estarfin in the wind, and shivered. He had lost his own fur rushing to Estarfin's aid. The cloud cover was near total, blocking out the light from the moon and stars. Belegos wearily followed the footsteps of Estarfin, trying in vain to keep himself warm in the biting wind, wrapping his green cloak about himself as tightly as he could. Snow began to fall, softly at first but quickly growing in intensity. Belegos looked up from the footprints that he had been following, even with his eyes he was unable to see more than a few metres through the heavy snowfall. He took a few more plodding footsteps, his shivering increasing in the bitterly cold weather. After another pace, he saw that the footprints were gone, covered by the sudden snowfall. He carried on walking in what he thought was the right direction, trying to conserve as much heat as he could. He called out to Estarfin for aid, but his voice was lost in the howling wind.

 

"Belegos! Belegos where are you?" shouted Estarfin, frantically looking for his friend. He had seen how cold Belegos had grown without his white fur, and so had rushed back up the slope to their small fire as quickly as his injuries would allow. He was throwing wood onto the embers, trying to get it hot again for when Belegos arrived. He had just got one of the smaller pieces of wood starting to smoke when the snow began to fall. Looking back, he saw Belegos still far down the slope, the cold robbing him of his usual vitality. Cursing himself for causing his brother's peril, he gathered up a small flask and two grey animal hides and started back down the slope as fast as he could. He soon lost sight of Belegos in the heavy snowfall, and started calling for him.

"Belegos! Bel..." Estarfin stopped as he saw the elf, kneeling in on the snow, his wet cloak wrapped around him. "Belegos!" Estarfin dropped to his knees, his face sorrowful as he regarded his friend. He quickly stripped the wet cloak from Belegos and wrapped the thick, warm furs around him. Belegos tried to speak, but his voice was too weak to hear over the sound of the wind. Estarfin looked back up the slope, but knew that they would not be able to reach the fire, even if it still burned in the snow. He took a sip from the flask that he had brought, and then forced Belegos to drink some as well. A little colour entered the face of Belegos, and Estarfin was glad. He sat next to Belegos and pulled him towards him, wrapping them both inside the same animal hides so he could share his own warmth with his friend.

"I am sorry," whispered Estarfin, not thinking that Belegos would be able to hear him.

"You were foolish to do it, and I was a fool to follow you." Belegos answered in a strained voice.

Estarfin laughed to hear Belegos speak. "Two fools together then my brother?"

Belegos nodded and smiled. "I will make a deal with you brother, if you will?"

"Anything!" Estarfin replied, merely glad that his friend was alright.

"I will explain what happened to the sergeant, but you must ask the quartermaster to replace the supplies we have lost!"

Estarfin looked at Belegos for a moment, and then a grin spread on his face. He started to laugh, and Belegos joined him. They laughed together as brothers, huddled under the thick furs, waiting for the snow to end and dawn to come.

 

Continued in http://laurelinarchives.org/node/12157