"So this is what marriage does to you...." Elladan remarked drily, as he shook his head. The Rangers had arrived to the left of the hillside and were drawn up short by the sight that met their eyes.

Four enormous trolls, each as brutish and burly as the next, were all bellowing at the top of their lungs and shoving one another in their haste to chase after the source of their consternation; two figures, one petite and dark, the other tall and fair, both running for their lives. The ground shook fit to waken the dead.

"I think they decided to start the fight without us..."

"Fools," muttered Strider.

Are they ... arguing? Asked Elrohir in disbelief.

"It would appear so... as I said, marriage..."

"The ravine!" yelled Strider, as he realized the direction they were headed. Elladan saw Legolas and Wren jump into shallow mouth of it, arm in arm.

The trolls lumbered in after them, the steep walls of narrow ravine rising fast along the length of it, easily reaching thirty feet in height. It was a slim chasm, a tight fit for such monstrous creatures. No doubt it would be an even tighter fit for whatever the trolls were chasing, once they got it cornered at the southern end. For inevitably that was what would happen... Elladan could see that the ravine tapered into a dead end as it wound down the hill, likely the unfortunate consequence of a colossal landslide.

The rangers rushed after the stampeding trolls and followed them along each of the cliff faces and rocky ledges that lined the ravine on either sides.

"Well, they have certainly made it easy for us." Beringil shouted, an arrow already notched to his bowstring. "I say we take advantage of a good shot while we have it."

"The sooner the better," said Elladan tersely, as Beringil headed to the opposite side of the chasm.

Taking up a position on the rim of the ravine, Elladan had an all too clear view of what was going on below. The four trolls,  each tall as they were wide, the height of almost three men, were forced to move in single file as they chased the pair. Legolas and Wren had gained some space between them on the flat ground but were now rapidly approaching the dead end of the ravine.

"Aim for the upper body and head!" Yelled Strider.

"Fire!" Beringil gave the order, drawing back the fletching of his arrow to his ear before sighting and releasing.

Arrows pelted down like rain on the trolls from either side. Trolls have thick hide and the four brutes were more angered than hurt from the first volley. Elladan and Elrohir both carried shortbows, but those lacked the draw weight necessary to really do any damage on such beasts. As the rangers continued, firing at will now, the trolls roared with fury and began to thrash, shaking great clods of dirt and stone from the walls of the ravine; the two elves were forced to watch helplessly.

"They are going to be crushed," yelled Elrohir.

"I have lost sight of them," responded Elladan, as he felt the breath die in his lungs. He strained to see through the pandemonium and cloud of dust the trolls were kicking up as they were slowly pelted with arrows.

One of the trolls gave a great wheezing heave, and suddenly collapsed as his leg gave way and Elladan caught sight of flash of steel and darting silver-haired elf in the mayhem on the ravine floor, and then lost sight of Legolas as the elf prince spun under another troll.

"They have turned back, they are in the melee" Elladan yelled to his brother , catching sight of Wren duck between two trolls, both her knives moving swiftly.

"Legolas, up here!"

Elladan heard his own voice reflected in that of his twin and turned to look at the source. Elrohir had spotted a narrow ledge a third of the way down the ravine wall and leapt down on to it. Elladan briefly saw Legolas acknowledge Elrohir, before he once again disappeared in the dust and blur of hill troll limbs.

Elladan glanced back into the bedlam and saw then that the same troll who had been hobbled seconds earlier, had began to keel over, clutching at its head where an arrow protruded from its ear. Like a squirrel darting up a rock, Wren suddenly appeared from out of the scuffle, scampering up over the troll's bowed head with her long knife drawn to finish it. She plunged her knife in so hard, that she was still struggling to free the blade by the time Legolas had run up and joined her. In an instant, he firmly grabbed both her forearms.

"Now!" Elladan shouted, marking that their visibility was not going unnoticed. One of the other remaining trolls seemed to have regained just enough focus to be making a grab for him.

Wren realized what Legolas was about to do and called out, "No!"

But Legolas had already spun and flung her in the direction of Elrohir ten paces away. Then Legolas leapt back into the chaos, just before a giant, clumsy fist swiped at the spot where he stood a split second ago.

She was light and he was powerful, with added adrenaline coursing through his veins. Elrohir grabbed Wren's arm just before she fell beyond his grasp and pulled her up onto the ledge. Then he pushed her up the reminder of the cliff face, before she received a helping hand from a grinning Elladan.

"I believe you were just tossed out of the fray, muthinel nín!"

"Don't." Wren was fuming, her jaw clenched. She instinctively reached for her bow and sighted her next target without making eye contact with Elladan.

The troll that had grabbed for Legolas earlier, was not yet done. It had the wit to follow Wren's trajectory and was flailing, trying to climb up the ravine wall to get to the rangers up above. Without warning, Strider suddenly ran and leapt off cliffside and onto the troll's shoulders. Then he slid down the troll's back, only to turn and ram his sword into rear side of the offending troll's knees. As the troll fell, it was bombarded with a torrent of arrows from on high, sapping the remainder of its life.

Elladan watched as Strider swiftly turned and found himself alongside Legolas, both their swords and knives drawn. It was almost as if they had a prior agreement, for in the next instant, they simultaneously rushed at the third troll. Together they both slid low through the creature's legs with their blades out, each slicing across the inner left and right leg, the troll crumpled to the floor in their wake.

Suddenly Elladan heard Elrohir yell as a boulder flew past his head. The smallest troll, and apparently the smartest was bending again to the ravine floor. Shielding itself from arrows behind the body of the fallen larger troll, it scooped another boulder.

The troll launched the boulder at Strider and Legolas, sending them both diving to either side. Then the beast charged at Strider who was still scrambling to find his feet. Legolas sprinted after the troll and leapt at the last minute, his lightning fast reflexes indisputable, to plunge his knives deep into the trolls' Achilles tendon, as the troll swiped at Strider's head. Flailing, the troll tottered on one leg but managed to lift another boulder and haul back its arm for one last throw. The rock left the troll's hand, just moments before the beast received an arrow to the eye causing the creature to fall heavily. The brute landed with an almighty thump, where it was peppered with arrows from the either side of the ravine, swiftly silencing its groans.

The boar-sized projectile that had been launched however, travelled short and fast, thundering into the side of the ravine nearby where Elladan stood. A fault deep within the dense earth and stone, was cracked wide open upon the impact of the boulder. Elladan felt the ground breaking apart below his very feet, as great clods of earth simply began falling away, shattering on the stones far below. Elladan, Elrohir, Wren and Rodorin were all left scrambling as the cliff side began to give way beneath them.

Elladan and Elrohir were the first to make it to solid ground by sheer virtue of their incredible dexterity and speed. Wren followed but landed heavily, as she leapt, arms outstretched as the earth disappeared instantly from under her. Rodorin however was not quick enough to be so fortunate. As Elladan saw Rodorin fall out of the corner of his eye, the elf spun and rolled, stretching out a desperate arm and shoulder over the side of the newly formed cliff, struggling to grasp hold of anything he could. 

Elladan felt his fingers grab the edge of the cloak and he held his breath waiting to hear the muffled 'thump' of its previous owner hitting the ravine floor below. But no such sound came. Elladan exhaled. His brother rapidly joined him and together they both peered over the edge of the cliff face.  They were met with the sight of the young ranger clinging perilously to his cloak with both hands, no doubt eternally grateful for the strength of the Dúnedain cloth and his mother's weaving skills. Together the twins both cautiously pulled Rodorin to safety.

The was an unearthly calm in the air, before muted cheers arose from some of the younger rangers positioned on either side of the ravine. The older, wiser rangers peered down into the gulley trying to make out the elf and the ranger captain. The dust had not yet settled, the whereabouts of Strider and Legolas were unclear.

Elladan stood on solid ground and arched his back, as Rodorin lay prostrate, his eyes closed wheezing heavily.

"Where are you going?" Elladan said, as he noticed Wren begin to make her way back down into the ravine, stepping gingerly over the river of debris deposited by the landslide as it carved a new route into the ancient riverbed.

"To get my knife" She flicked her chin in the direction of the immense mound of troll, where a black handled blade was still wedged, rising distinctively above the dust cloud.

"You should probably check on your husband ..."

"That too." She responded, without turning her head.

-0-0-0-0-0-

*muthinel nín ~ little sister

Trolls will test any marriage ... just say'n! More trials and tribulations to come! I would love to receive your comments and please VOTE on this chapter if you enjoyed it.  Voting/Comments are the only way I have of finding out who is on this journey with me, and are such a great encouragement to keep writing! I really appreciate them!