Dried leaves crunched under their boots and branches cracked over head from
the wind. Aragorn ran ahead to survey the land up ahead leaving Legolas and
Gimli behind. Their search for Merry and Pippin was looking grim, there had
been no sign of them for three days now. They had been walking through
forestland for about a week and their food supply had dwindled down to half
of the last lembas. On their second day in the woods, they had been
attacked by a band of orcs. Legolas had been hit in the side of the abdomen
with an arrow, piercing his skin. The wound still bled as they continued
on, but his vision was becoming blurry at times and he would become dizzy.
Aragorn returned with no new news and they continued with little hope left
in them. Sun had just begun setting when Aragorn's good nose picked up the
sent of smoke and Legolas's keen eyes saw a flickering of fire up ahead in
a clearing of trees in the shape of a circle. They began to run, Gimli
holding his axe in one hand, Legolas readying his bow and Aragorn
unsheathing his sword. When they entered the space, the grass seemed
greener almost happy to greet them and the stars seemed to come out to play
overhead. A fire was set in the center with two logs on either side and
there sat Merry and Pippin smoking their pipe weed and roasting meat over
the fire looking like their happy, chipper hobbit selves. Merry raised his
head, removed the pipe and smiled at their visitors.
"Oye, Pippin, it's Strider, Legolas and Gimli," Merry spoke up.
The three lowered their weapons and sighed a sigh of relief.
"Want some?" Pippin held out the pan containing the browning meat.
"We take you two for dead and here you are, cooking dinner," Aragorn replied.
"Supper actually," Pippin corrected.
Aragorn sat down next to Merry and Legolas took a seat next to Pippin everyone taking turns asking and answering each other's questions. Gimli leaned up against an old but sturdy oak tree and rested his tired eyes. Out of nowhere, an arrow whizzed past Gimli's temple just a half an inch away making him jump up. It stuck deep in the tree. Aragorn and Legolas jumped up weapons ready.
"Show yourself!" Gimli growled.
Legolas fixed his eyes on something in the shadows, it moved very swiftly back and forth between the trees, confusing him. He sent off a warning shot and it hit something, a tree, the figure was gone. Merry and Pippin continued eating around the fire occasionally looking around them, apparently not startled by this attack. Another arrow came from the darkness and Aragorn caught it as it was heading for his chest. He examined the craftsmanship on the arrow, it was indeed red wood finely sanded down with gold artwork along the sides. The end was tipped with sleeping poison and the butt was decorated with blue feathers.
"Legolas, I want you to look at this arrow. What race does it look like?" Aragorn asked.
Legolas lowered his bow and arrow and bent down next to Aragorn wincing from the pain of his wound which still bleed. He handed the arrow to the elf who carefully examined it.
"Of the race of elves, see the writing here and here?" Legolas answered.
"That's what I thought, but it's tipped with sleeping poison," Aragorn pointed out.
"Strong enough to knock out a wild boar, if you don't mind me saying," an english female voice came from the shadows.
"Who goes there?" Gimli questioned, axe positioned to strike at any given moment. Merry and Pippin looked towards the shadow at the sound of the voice. Leaves crunched as it made it's towards them. The first thing to be seen was the moon's light shining off the tip of a readied arrow, then the silhouette of a women slowly appeared. Aragorn and Legolas stood up and readied their weapons again. Merry and Pippin bowed at the presence of this figure.
"Go back to your meal halflings, I shall take care of these trespassers," she said. The two hobbits obeyed and continued their meal.
"Lower your weapon," Aragorn instructed.
"Why? So you can kill these two innocent refugees that I saved from the orcs of Mordor?" she questioned.
"These two are of our fellowship, we wish to continue on our journey taking them with us," Aragorn informed.
"Fellowship? Three make up a fellowship? You are no more than a dwarf, man, and an elf, what need do you have for halflings?" she wondered.
"When we set out from Rivendale, there were nine of us, when we reached Lothlorien there were eight of us and when we came here, there are five of us including those two," Aragorn replied.
"So you have seen the Golden wood and it's Lady and Lord?" she questioned sounding astonished.
"Yes," Gimli answered.
"Then you are no enemy if you have seen the Lady of the Light," she said.
She stepped out into the night-light shining high from the full cream moon. She wore an outfit similar to Legolas's but brown and a few alterations. She had blonde and brown hair pulled back into a long braid and she had piercing cerulean blue eyes. She had pointed ears, almost leaf- shaped like Legolas's. A sword was attached to here left hip and a quaver of arrows lay attached to her back with the black leather strap across her chest. Legolas felt faint and dizzy, his vision was blurry and pain shot up from his wound. He felt his legs give out from underneath him and began to fall forward. Aragorn caught him and lied him on the ground. She threw here bow and arrow aside and ran to Legolas's aid. Gimli bent down and placed a folded cloth under Legolas's head.
"He's still breathing" Aragorn announced.
"His wound is deep and poison is making its trail. He will not last long out here without medical treatment. We must go to my people, there he can be treated properly," the new elf informed. Aragorn picked up Legolas while Gimli gathered up the two hobbits and their belongings. The girl led the way swiftly and quietly through the forest. Daybreak came and the sun shined hard upon their backs, burning their skin. As nightfall started to show its face, they reached tall silver gates. The elf called up in her language and the gates opened and the group hurried inside.
"Oye, Pippin, it's Strider, Legolas and Gimli," Merry spoke up.
The three lowered their weapons and sighed a sigh of relief.
"Want some?" Pippin held out the pan containing the browning meat.
"We take you two for dead and here you are, cooking dinner," Aragorn replied.
"Supper actually," Pippin corrected.
Aragorn sat down next to Merry and Legolas took a seat next to Pippin everyone taking turns asking and answering each other's questions. Gimli leaned up against an old but sturdy oak tree and rested his tired eyes. Out of nowhere, an arrow whizzed past Gimli's temple just a half an inch away making him jump up. It stuck deep in the tree. Aragorn and Legolas jumped up weapons ready.
"Show yourself!" Gimli growled.
Legolas fixed his eyes on something in the shadows, it moved very swiftly back and forth between the trees, confusing him. He sent off a warning shot and it hit something, a tree, the figure was gone. Merry and Pippin continued eating around the fire occasionally looking around them, apparently not startled by this attack. Another arrow came from the darkness and Aragorn caught it as it was heading for his chest. He examined the craftsmanship on the arrow, it was indeed red wood finely sanded down with gold artwork along the sides. The end was tipped with sleeping poison and the butt was decorated with blue feathers.
"Legolas, I want you to look at this arrow. What race does it look like?" Aragorn asked.
Legolas lowered his bow and arrow and bent down next to Aragorn wincing from the pain of his wound which still bleed. He handed the arrow to the elf who carefully examined it.
"Of the race of elves, see the writing here and here?" Legolas answered.
"That's what I thought, but it's tipped with sleeping poison," Aragorn pointed out.
"Strong enough to knock out a wild boar, if you don't mind me saying," an english female voice came from the shadows.
"Who goes there?" Gimli questioned, axe positioned to strike at any given moment. Merry and Pippin looked towards the shadow at the sound of the voice. Leaves crunched as it made it's towards them. The first thing to be seen was the moon's light shining off the tip of a readied arrow, then the silhouette of a women slowly appeared. Aragorn and Legolas stood up and readied their weapons again. Merry and Pippin bowed at the presence of this figure.
"Go back to your meal halflings, I shall take care of these trespassers," she said. The two hobbits obeyed and continued their meal.
"Lower your weapon," Aragorn instructed.
"Why? So you can kill these two innocent refugees that I saved from the orcs of Mordor?" she questioned.
"These two are of our fellowship, we wish to continue on our journey taking them with us," Aragorn informed.
"Fellowship? Three make up a fellowship? You are no more than a dwarf, man, and an elf, what need do you have for halflings?" she wondered.
"When we set out from Rivendale, there were nine of us, when we reached Lothlorien there were eight of us and when we came here, there are five of us including those two," Aragorn replied.
"So you have seen the Golden wood and it's Lady and Lord?" she questioned sounding astonished.
"Yes," Gimli answered.
"Then you are no enemy if you have seen the Lady of the Light," she said.
She stepped out into the night-light shining high from the full cream moon. She wore an outfit similar to Legolas's but brown and a few alterations. She had blonde and brown hair pulled back into a long braid and she had piercing cerulean blue eyes. She had pointed ears, almost leaf- shaped like Legolas's. A sword was attached to here left hip and a quaver of arrows lay attached to her back with the black leather strap across her chest. Legolas felt faint and dizzy, his vision was blurry and pain shot up from his wound. He felt his legs give out from underneath him and began to fall forward. Aragorn caught him and lied him on the ground. She threw here bow and arrow aside and ran to Legolas's aid. Gimli bent down and placed a folded cloth under Legolas's head.
"He's still breathing" Aragorn announced.
"His wound is deep and poison is making its trail. He will not last long out here without medical treatment. We must go to my people, there he can be treated properly," the new elf informed. Aragorn picked up Legolas while Gimli gathered up the two hobbits and their belongings. The girl led the way swiftly and quietly through the forest. Daybreak came and the sun shined hard upon their backs, burning their skin. As nightfall started to show its face, they reached tall silver gates. The elf called up in her language and the gates opened and the group hurried inside.