The silver moonlight shone down on the green roof of the forest, dappling the earth below with its genlte light. A small brook garbled its way through the night, a soft sound in the silent wood. Suddenly that silence was broken by gleeful laughter and shouts of excitement. Fire sprung up from a pile of wood, illuminating the surrounding trees and a group of teens. It was an even split of boys and girls, all of them dressed in clothes that looked as though they came out of a fantasy novel...completely out of their times. One of the girl even had elf ears! All of them carried something in their arms related to food or drink and sat around the camp fire talking excitedly.
"So, what should we do tonight?" asked one of the boys.
"Keep those jerks off our land?" suggested anotyher ruefully. "They keep trying to tear down our Hall."
"Well, Daren," hissed one of the girls, "if you hadn't spilled where the Hall was they wouldnt have anything to destroy!"
"Enough you two," interrupted the girl with elven ears. "Your bickering won't solve the fact that the Garrison brothers know the location of the Hall. Those two are a pair of trolls, they are. And their gang is no better then an army of orcs."
"And someone has been reading Tolkien again," Daren taunted.
"Do you want first watch?" demanded the other boy. Daren shut up at this. "So, who's going to take the first watch tonight? Corin?"
"Not me!" she muttered. "Why don't you do it Briant?"
"I'll do it!" shouted the girl with elven ears! "As long as you all stop fighting! Please!"
"My Lady," Daren agreed tauntingly in his Ren Fest accent. "And what would be thy weapon of choice for this evening?"
"I carry my weapon already," she stated, rising from her place on the ground. "All I require now is a few cans of creme soda, with caffiene, mind you, and a bit of bread. I shall see you again soon." She grabbed half a loaf of homemade bread that Corin had made, a 6 pack of soda, and shoved them into a small bag she carried with her and headed off away from the fire.
The Hall was actually just a fort made of broken branches, old fishing nest, and fallen leaves, but to the four kids it was a summer sanctuary. To her, however, it was a lot more...she came here more often then any of them and saw this earthen place as her home...more so than the home with her ill-begotten parents. With a sigh she took to the trees around the long Hall and scanned the surrounding area.
Was it her imagination, or had something moved in the moonlight. No breeze...it hadn't been the trees or undergrowth, which there was little of; no something or someone was out there. "I don't know who you are, but you aren't one of ours! I'm armed so you'd best leave!" It moved again. A quick shadow, quicker then anything she'd ever seen. Out of instinct she pulled out the dagger she kept at her waist and the tiny black WidowMaker she kept in her bodice. Gribbping both tightly, she began to slink lightly across the ground, trying to make as little noise as possible. "Show yourself!" she ordered as she neared the shadow. "I'm armed!"
"You have stated that once already, my Lady," breathed a masculine voice from behind a large oak tree. "I mean you no harm."
"If you mean me no harm then put your hands above your heads and step into the moonlight so I can see you!" The shadow turned out to be a young man, very tall, with long platinum blonde hair and bright eyes that seemed to glow in the moonlight. But what almost made the girl drop her daggers was the fact that he was wearing clothes you would see at a Ren Fair and also had elf ears! "W-who are you?"
"My name is Legolas." His breaths seemed a bit short, like he'd either been running. "Might I have the honor of your name?"
"Sahar Morsus," she replied, lowering her main dagger. She kept the WidowMaker in hand though, its small blade hidden from sight. "Where the hell did you come from? Medieval fair left town a month ago."
"I hail from Mirkwood. Might you be as kind..." He stopped for a moment as he took in a sharp breath, the continued. "can you tell me where this place is?"
"Your in Asamoya Wood," Sahar answered, giving him the name she called the woods. It was the first thing that had come to mind and it sounded a lot better than Dan Grove Woods. "Are you hurt?"
"I was keeping watch at my camp when something in the near distance caught my attention...the next thing I knew I was in these strange woods and some sort of weapon was fired at me. Not an arrow or sword...it made sounds like thunder."
"That would be the troll brothers," Sahar growled.
"Trolls?" Legolas inquired sharply, wincing as he covered his side with his hand.
"Just a nickname for two brothers that live on the other end of the Wood," Sahar explained. "Here, let me take you to the Hall." She led him back to the lodge of bark and leaves and pulled a spare flashlight out of her bag, flipping it on. "Move your hand and let me see." She pried his fingers away from his side and noted that the material was beginning to soak through with blood, and that some of the cloth had also been torn away. "You're lucky. The bullet missed, but it grazed close enough to cause a bit of pain. I can wrap it, but you'll have to remove your shirt."
"I beg your pardon?" Legolas gulped. Sahar glanced at him with daggers in her eyes and he did as he was told and slowly removed his shirt while she fetched some bandages from a hidden store inside.
"Don't get any ideas either," she warned darkly as she set to wrapping the wound. Anything but 'getting ideas' was on Legolas' mind. It was obvious this young elf maiden had a tongue sharper than a sword and would use her weapons without so much as a second thought if she were angered. But he also couldn't help but notice, that as sharp as she was with her words, her hands had a gentle, caring, touch. "Those two are probably wandering around drunbk with their daddy's rifle," she was snipping. "Lord and Lady knows if I ran into them I'd cut their hands off. Are you hungry?"
Legolas nodded numbly, putting his shirt back on and Sahar returned with the bread and two cans of soda. The bread he took a bite of eagerly, but he eyed the can as though it were something completely new to him. "Its not poisened," Sahar stated, opening her own, taking a long drink. Slowly, Legolas mimicked her movement of pulling the tab on the top of the can and also took a drink, a look of amazement registering in his bright eyes.
"What is this?" He asked.
"Creme Soda," Sahar answered, like he should have known that. "Its the only brand with caffiene, which is why we get it."
"We?" Legolas repeated. "I see no one else about your Hall."
"There's four of us," Sahar explained, stading up. "Tonight its my turn to guard the Hall from those idiots."
"I mean you no disrespect, but one person against someone with weapons that sound thunder and spit steel?"
"My dagger and arrows are more than a match for their guns," Sahar snapped. "And I move as light as an elf wood through these woods. All it takes is one person to guard this Hall." And with that she rose, and taking her bread and drink she climbed into a tall oak tree and sat on a branch, to keep her watch.
Legolas watched her from his position on the ground. The moonlight had broken through an opening in the canopy, enough so that he could see the girl clearly. She had long, red hair and fair skin. Her eyes were midnight blue and had a sad yet fierce look about them. Her hair was pulled back so he could clearly make out her Elven ears. But she didn't quite have the air of an Elf. He couldn't quite put word to it yet, but he was beginning to get the feeling that he wasn't in Middle Earth anymore. But he decided he wouldn't disturb Sahar at the moment. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she had something far more important on her mind.
"So, what should we do tonight?" asked one of the boys.
"Keep those jerks off our land?" suggested anotyher ruefully. "They keep trying to tear down our Hall."
"Well, Daren," hissed one of the girls, "if you hadn't spilled where the Hall was they wouldnt have anything to destroy!"
"Enough you two," interrupted the girl with elven ears. "Your bickering won't solve the fact that the Garrison brothers know the location of the Hall. Those two are a pair of trolls, they are. And their gang is no better then an army of orcs."
"And someone has been reading Tolkien again," Daren taunted.
"Do you want first watch?" demanded the other boy. Daren shut up at this. "So, who's going to take the first watch tonight? Corin?"
"Not me!" she muttered. "Why don't you do it Briant?"
"I'll do it!" shouted the girl with elven ears! "As long as you all stop fighting! Please!"
"My Lady," Daren agreed tauntingly in his Ren Fest accent. "And what would be thy weapon of choice for this evening?"
"I carry my weapon already," she stated, rising from her place on the ground. "All I require now is a few cans of creme soda, with caffiene, mind you, and a bit of bread. I shall see you again soon." She grabbed half a loaf of homemade bread that Corin had made, a 6 pack of soda, and shoved them into a small bag she carried with her and headed off away from the fire.
The Hall was actually just a fort made of broken branches, old fishing nest, and fallen leaves, but to the four kids it was a summer sanctuary. To her, however, it was a lot more...she came here more often then any of them and saw this earthen place as her home...more so than the home with her ill-begotten parents. With a sigh she took to the trees around the long Hall and scanned the surrounding area.
Was it her imagination, or had something moved in the moonlight. No breeze...it hadn't been the trees or undergrowth, which there was little of; no something or someone was out there. "I don't know who you are, but you aren't one of ours! I'm armed so you'd best leave!" It moved again. A quick shadow, quicker then anything she'd ever seen. Out of instinct she pulled out the dagger she kept at her waist and the tiny black WidowMaker she kept in her bodice. Gribbping both tightly, she began to slink lightly across the ground, trying to make as little noise as possible. "Show yourself!" she ordered as she neared the shadow. "I'm armed!"
"You have stated that once already, my Lady," breathed a masculine voice from behind a large oak tree. "I mean you no harm."
"If you mean me no harm then put your hands above your heads and step into the moonlight so I can see you!" The shadow turned out to be a young man, very tall, with long platinum blonde hair and bright eyes that seemed to glow in the moonlight. But what almost made the girl drop her daggers was the fact that he was wearing clothes you would see at a Ren Fair and also had elf ears! "W-who are you?"
"My name is Legolas." His breaths seemed a bit short, like he'd either been running. "Might I have the honor of your name?"
"Sahar Morsus," she replied, lowering her main dagger. She kept the WidowMaker in hand though, its small blade hidden from sight. "Where the hell did you come from? Medieval fair left town a month ago."
"I hail from Mirkwood. Might you be as kind..." He stopped for a moment as he took in a sharp breath, the continued. "can you tell me where this place is?"
"Your in Asamoya Wood," Sahar answered, giving him the name she called the woods. It was the first thing that had come to mind and it sounded a lot better than Dan Grove Woods. "Are you hurt?"
"I was keeping watch at my camp when something in the near distance caught my attention...the next thing I knew I was in these strange woods and some sort of weapon was fired at me. Not an arrow or sword...it made sounds like thunder."
"That would be the troll brothers," Sahar growled.
"Trolls?" Legolas inquired sharply, wincing as he covered his side with his hand.
"Just a nickname for two brothers that live on the other end of the Wood," Sahar explained. "Here, let me take you to the Hall." She led him back to the lodge of bark and leaves and pulled a spare flashlight out of her bag, flipping it on. "Move your hand and let me see." She pried his fingers away from his side and noted that the material was beginning to soak through with blood, and that some of the cloth had also been torn away. "You're lucky. The bullet missed, but it grazed close enough to cause a bit of pain. I can wrap it, but you'll have to remove your shirt."
"I beg your pardon?" Legolas gulped. Sahar glanced at him with daggers in her eyes and he did as he was told and slowly removed his shirt while she fetched some bandages from a hidden store inside.
"Don't get any ideas either," she warned darkly as she set to wrapping the wound. Anything but 'getting ideas' was on Legolas' mind. It was obvious this young elf maiden had a tongue sharper than a sword and would use her weapons without so much as a second thought if she were angered. But he also couldn't help but notice, that as sharp as she was with her words, her hands had a gentle, caring, touch. "Those two are probably wandering around drunbk with their daddy's rifle," she was snipping. "Lord and Lady knows if I ran into them I'd cut their hands off. Are you hungry?"
Legolas nodded numbly, putting his shirt back on and Sahar returned with the bread and two cans of soda. The bread he took a bite of eagerly, but he eyed the can as though it were something completely new to him. "Its not poisened," Sahar stated, opening her own, taking a long drink. Slowly, Legolas mimicked her movement of pulling the tab on the top of the can and also took a drink, a look of amazement registering in his bright eyes.
"What is this?" He asked.
"Creme Soda," Sahar answered, like he should have known that. "Its the only brand with caffiene, which is why we get it."
"We?" Legolas repeated. "I see no one else about your Hall."
"There's four of us," Sahar explained, stading up. "Tonight its my turn to guard the Hall from those idiots."
"I mean you no disrespect, but one person against someone with weapons that sound thunder and spit steel?"
"My dagger and arrows are more than a match for their guns," Sahar snapped. "And I move as light as an elf wood through these woods. All it takes is one person to guard this Hall." And with that she rose, and taking her bread and drink she climbed into a tall oak tree and sat on a branch, to keep her watch.
Legolas watched her from his position on the ground. The moonlight had broken through an opening in the canopy, enough so that he could see the girl clearly. She had long, red hair and fair skin. Her eyes were midnight blue and had a sad yet fierce look about them. Her hair was pulled back so he could clearly make out her Elven ears. But she didn't quite have the air of an Elf. He couldn't quite put word to it yet, but he was beginning to get the feeling that he wasn't in Middle Earth anymore. But he decided he wouldn't disturb Sahar at the moment. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she had something far more important on her mind.