Arwen peered through the thin branches of the hawthorn bush and watched the
doe and the yearling fawn scrape through the crusty ice and snow in the
small glade before her.
She raised her bow and sighted on the doe, who, just as she was about to let fly with the arrow, looked straight at her with deep brown eyes. She lowered her head and quickly licked the neck of her rail thin offspring who nuzzled her back and bent again to look for forage.
Arwen dropped her arm and let the arrow slide out of position. She just could not do it. Now matter what her brothers might say to her when she trudged back empty handed. It was a hard winter for everybody and killing this doe and leaving the fawn defenseless and near starving, well, she just could not do it.
Sighing, the ten-year-old she elf, walked through the plume of her heated breath and light footed, went back to her home.
As she made her careful way through a thick stand of saplings and older trees, she smiled to herself. Well, perhaps she was coming home without a haunch of venison, but she took with her the lovely image of the doe and her fawn.
Besides, it was almost Yule. And this would be her winter gift to the doe and fawn!
As she went down the road, adjusting her quiver, she decided, after lessons with Amme tomorrow morning, she would go back to where she had seen the two deer and bring them an armload of hay from the stables.
Seeing the elegant roof line of her home, Arwen ran down the road, over the bridge and the mostly frozen Bruinen and into the main courtyard before the House. Removing her quiver, she waved to the guards and ran up the stairs and into the House. She stopped as she came in and brushed off the snow from her cape and then went to the nearby armory to store her bow and arrows. Making sure the small but graceful weapon was undamaged by the weather, she placed it near her brothers. Her shoulders slumped slightly. Their quivers and bows were missing. As was Ada's.
Sighing heavily she went slowly back to her room. They had gone hunting without her. Probably because Elladan reminded the other two of their last attempt to hunt together, when Elladan, about to bring down a magnificent stag lost his chance because Arwen, so excited by the huge beast, stumbled over a buried branch and startled the animal (and Elladan) allowing it to flee.
"There goes a whole weeks worth of meat Arwen!" He hissed as he carefully put away the unspent arrow.
Arwen had hung her head, aware of her mistake.
And of course, this mistake would haunt her forever. At least, if Elladan had his way!
She kicked the highly polished wood floor beneath her soft waterproof boots and went ungracefully back to her room, allowing her cape to drag behind her.
Once in her room, she flung the cape into a corner and then flung herself into her window seat, ignoring the beautiful frost patterns on the glass panes before her.
Stupid deer! She could have showed her brothers and her parents that she was NOT the little girl they thought she was and could help support the House just like her brothers and father. Even Celebrian could hunt and had brought home meat for the larder. She picked up her small worn doll Cimbelin who sat nearby and held her close.
Arwen put her head on her knees.
Maybe tomorrow she would show her family that she was just as good a hunter and provider as they were.
The next morning dawned grey and soft. There would be more snow before nightfall.
At breakfast, Arwen kicked her heels impatiently as her brothers recounted their efforts to find a deer, but they and their father had come home empty- handed as well.
Arwen could not resist commenting, "Well, at least I SAW a deer yesterday."
Elrohir rolled his eyes and Elladan said in a clearly unimpressed voice, "Oh? Where?"
"If I tell you, you will get her first. She is MY deer and I will be the one to catch her. So there!"
Both brothers were about to let her have it, when their father's quiet voice cut through their talk. "That is enough my sons. Arwen, where did you see this deer? We sighted nary a hoof print yesterday."
"Beyond where the river turns west, up in the-" She stopped herself and looked at her father who was smiling slightly, one eyebrow half raised.
"Yes, where the river turns west and...?"
She mumbled down at her bowl of porridge. "Nothing Ada. She is probably gone away. I-I scared her." Arwen cringed at this fib but knew by saying it that they would all think the deer had long since disappeared, which would leave her for Arwen to handle.
Celebrian spoke up softly, "Well, perhaps after lessons this morning, you and I could go and seek out the deer. Would you like that?"
Arwen raised shining eyes to her mother, "Oh Amme! That would be wonderful!"
Arwen hurriedly finished her breakfast, and when she noticed her mother and father in quiet conversation, she looked at her brothers across from her and stuck out her tongue. With a hasty wipe of her mouth, she said quickly, "May I be excused Amme, Ada?"
"Of course," Elrond said, smiling slightly at his daughter's eager leap off her chair and her rush out of the suite.
Lallalyn put a hand on her unwieldy belly. She leaned against a tree as exhaustion took her. Tears began to dribble down her cheeks and then froze half way down. Oh Pallan! Where are you? The expectant mother kept plowing through the woods, following the tracks of her husband. But it had been getting harder and harder to maintain the energy to track Pallan through the snow.
The young couple had been off to Bree from a village on the western edge of Mirkwood so that Pallan could find work. Four ragged bandits had attacked them. They had stabbed Pallan in the side and stolen their horse and supplies. Lallayn had been away from the camp looking for forage for their horse (and had taken the bow and quiver with her just in case she came across a rabbit). By the time she had gotten back, the bandits had left, and her husband was lying in the snow. She had done what she could for him and then they had set off. But the snowfall a few days before had confused them and they had gotten lost and could not find the East Road.
Lallayn sighed deeply and adjusted her thin wool cloak. But they all needed to eat. It had been a least a day, or was it more?
Wait! There were deer tracks here next to Pallan's! A veritable feast!! Lallayn wiped the crusty tears off her face and worked hard to be quiet as she followed her husband.
Arwen, the tip of her small pink tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth, worked her embroidery stitches very carefully. It would not do to make a mistake right now, and have Mama make her redo it.
Ahh! The last flower petal! She held up her embroidery frame and eyed the cascading blossoms around her Tengwar scripted alphabet and smiled. "Look Amme! I have finished that branch of jasmine! Can we go hunting now?"
Celebrian looked up from the work she was doing and glanced out the window. The sky had gotten greyer, but there was still no snow yet. It would be a good day to track the deer. She lay down her embroidery frame and rose gracefully from her chair. "Come Arwen, let us change and go hunting!"
"Yay!" Arwen covered her mouth at her exuberance and smiled at her mother. Running to hug her quickly, she rushed out of Celebrian's solarium and went to her room. Quickly pulling off her gown, she got into her one pair of leather trews (like her fathers) and pulled on a thick under shirt topped by a densely woven tunic. She sat on her bed and pulled on her boots from the day before. Hopping off, she rummaged in her wardrobe and found what she needed, her old rucksack. She was going to stuff hay in it for the hungry deer. Making sure her hair was tidily braided back, she rushed back to her parent's suite. Before entering, she knocked quietly, as her mother had requested. Receiving no reply, she frowned slightly and anxious, opened the door just a bit. The door to her parent's bedroom was slightly ajar, and she could just see her parents with their arms around each other, kissing. Her mother was just in her chemise.
Making a face, Arwen left the suite and slumped to the floor out in the corridor to wait for one of them to leave.
Rolling her eyes and putting her arms on her knees, she sighed heavily. Amme and Ada would probably be awhile before she saw one of them. Kissing! Yuck! Whatever her parents saw in kissing, Arwen could not fathom.
Arwen was just done counting the floor tiles that she could see for the third time, when the door to her left opened, and Elrond stepped out. Adjusting the collar of his dark green robe, both his eyebrows went up at Arwen sitting on the floor.
"Are you waiting for me princess?"
"No Ada. Amme. She promised to go hunting remember?"
"Ah, yes. She was dressing when I entered." He put a hand to his daughter's head fondly. "Go on, she will soon be done."
Arwen looked at her father's rather bemused expression and shook her head as she entered the suite. Parents! They could be so strange sometimes!
Rising from the floor, she went into the suite and caught her mother smiling to herself and humming quietly as she adjusted the fit of her leather tunic. She too was wearing trews and had braided her hair back.
Arwen came in and sat in a chair watching her mother.
"Are you happy to go hunting with me Amme?"
Celebrian turned, her eyes shining. Stretching suddenly she said, "Of course darling. Are you ready?"
"Yes Amme!" Arwen turned and raced ahead of her mother, who followed more slowly, still adjusting her braid. Arwen turned into the nearby armory and got her bow. Celebrian came in and pulled her bow and quiver off the wall and adjusting her quiver over her back, joined her anxious daughter at the great front doors. "Come on Amme! You are slow as a human!"
"Arwen!"
"Sorry Amme," she pulled open the carved oak door easily and rushed out into the cold. Waiting on the wide flagstone porch, she dashed off the moment her mother drew level with her and went down the stairs across the courtyard and into the stables. Pausing to track her mother's progress, she ran to her pony's stall and began putting on her tack. Finished, she stuffed dry hay into the rucksack and slung it on her shoulder.
By the time she was done, Lady Celebrian had her horse saddled and looked at Arwen expectantly. With a cheerful shout, Arwen spurred Celebloth out of the courtyard and soon mother and daughter were clattering over the bridge in the crisp cold air to the lower reaches of the nearly frozen Bruinen.
From a high balcony outside the now quiet Hall of Fire, Lord Elrond watched his wife and daughter race off. Smiling, he turned away, the plume of his breath following as he adjusted his thick fur cape. He would give them a few hours and then, he and his sons would join them. Surely between the five of them they could bring in one deer for the traditional Eve of Yule feast.
Mother and daughter dismounted and Celebrian tied the horses up in a stand of aspen saplings. Ducking beneath sagging branches covered with snow, the two she elves crept quietly in the woods where Arwen had seen the doe and fawn earlier.
Of course the animals had moved on, but the two elves moved silently searching for deer signs.
Arwen sighed frostily as her mother went carefully around the edge of a small clearing. They were never going to find the deer and then the twins would assume she had made up the story to look better than they had.
Celebrian turned to her daughter, the frost from her breath glittering in her blonde tresses like diamonds in the weak sunlight. "Come Arwen, I have found tracks!"
Arwen could barely contain herself and swiftly joined her mother. But as she did, she looked down and then noticed off to the right of them about 10 feet were another pair of tracks.
They looked like Elvish feet, but elves did not make a mark in the snow.
"Mother, there are other prints here as well, and I do not---"
"Shhh, Arwen! I see her!"
Arwen shrugged and followed after her mother. Oh well. They might be old as it had not snowed for awhile.
The little she-elf joined her mother and smiled. Yes! Her mother had found the doe and her yearling fawn! The doe was leaning up against a tree across the clearing and the fawn was close by her. There was already blood staining the ground. Her mother was quick! She ran past Celebrian, who stood with lowered bow, missing the fact that her mother still held an arrow ready to shoot.
Twang! Another arrow shot out and Arwen just caught it out of the corner of her eye as she ran. A bright hot shooting pain went through her right shoulder and she fell to the snow. She heard faintly another "thwing" over her head and a faint groan.
"Arwen!" Her mother screamed. Why was her mother screaming? She was going to frighten the doe and fawn away! The she-elf levered herself out of the snow and looked around. Why the deer had bled right here too! She looked over to the edge of the clearing opposite the deer where she saw moaning and thrashing going on. Rising slowly to her feet, Arwen saw a human male in ragged clothing writhing on the ground, an arrow through his left thigh.
Her mother's face swam into view. "Arwen love, shh, do not move. I am going to get the horses."
Arwen nodded and suddenly the pain hit her like a blow to the stomach and she started screaming to get her mother to stop. "Amme! Amme!" The blood on the snow was hers and she had an arrow in her shoulder! "Amme! Amme!" Arwen fell down again shaking and shivering in shock, her cries coming softer. The pain was excruciating and burned like fire.
Lallayn stopped frightened by the terrible turn of events. She ran awkwardly to her husband who was bleeding from an arrow in the leg. She looked up and saw a woman running out of the clearing. And then, Lallayn opened her mouth in horror: There was little girl lying in the snow with an arrow in her shoulder! Pallan must have hit her by accident trying to finish off the deer.
Celebrian, her eyes running with tears, went and quickly untied their horses and rushed back leading the animals to the glade.
She completely ignored the man moaning in the snow. He had shot her daughter and he could bleed to death for all she cared. Dropping by Arwen, she ripped a length of linen off her under shift. And then before she could think too much more about it, she quickly pulled the arrow out of Arwen's shoulder and swiftly bound the injury.
Helping her daughter get on her pony, she paused a moment startled, there was a woman kneeling next to the injured man and she was terribly pregnant. Oh Iluvatar! She'd shot the woman's husband!
But she had to get Arwen to Elrond. Once they were back at the House, Celebrian would send out elves to retrieve the wounded man and his wife.
Biting her lip, she closed her eyes and led the pony out of the glade opposite to where the woman and her man sat in the snow.
She had not gotten ten yards away, when she heard the heavy step and panting breath of the pregnant woman coming up behind her.
Celebrian, her face flushed with emotion, pulled her dagger out of her left boot and stood and faced the woman brandishing the weapon.
"Yo-you can't leave my husband here!" Lallalyn cried. "He's bleeding a lot! He didn't mean to shoot your daughter! She just ran out after the arrow was loosed! Please!" The woman reached out to Celebrian.
"I-I can and will madam! He shot my daughter! He has paid for his foolishness!" Celebrian stood there her eyes blazing. The more they stood there talking the longer Arwen sat on her pony bleeding!
She turned and walked away. But her mother's heart clenched at leaving the woman and her husband. She said without turning. "I will send help."
The woman behind her sobbed and turned back to her husband. Ooh what a nightmare this whole trip had become!
She raised her bow and sighted on the doe, who, just as she was about to let fly with the arrow, looked straight at her with deep brown eyes. She lowered her head and quickly licked the neck of her rail thin offspring who nuzzled her back and bent again to look for forage.
Arwen dropped her arm and let the arrow slide out of position. She just could not do it. Now matter what her brothers might say to her when she trudged back empty handed. It was a hard winter for everybody and killing this doe and leaving the fawn defenseless and near starving, well, she just could not do it.
Sighing, the ten-year-old she elf, walked through the plume of her heated breath and light footed, went back to her home.
As she made her careful way through a thick stand of saplings and older trees, she smiled to herself. Well, perhaps she was coming home without a haunch of venison, but she took with her the lovely image of the doe and her fawn.
Besides, it was almost Yule. And this would be her winter gift to the doe and fawn!
As she went down the road, adjusting her quiver, she decided, after lessons with Amme tomorrow morning, she would go back to where she had seen the two deer and bring them an armload of hay from the stables.
Seeing the elegant roof line of her home, Arwen ran down the road, over the bridge and the mostly frozen Bruinen and into the main courtyard before the House. Removing her quiver, she waved to the guards and ran up the stairs and into the House. She stopped as she came in and brushed off the snow from her cape and then went to the nearby armory to store her bow and arrows. Making sure the small but graceful weapon was undamaged by the weather, she placed it near her brothers. Her shoulders slumped slightly. Their quivers and bows were missing. As was Ada's.
Sighing heavily she went slowly back to her room. They had gone hunting without her. Probably because Elladan reminded the other two of their last attempt to hunt together, when Elladan, about to bring down a magnificent stag lost his chance because Arwen, so excited by the huge beast, stumbled over a buried branch and startled the animal (and Elladan) allowing it to flee.
"There goes a whole weeks worth of meat Arwen!" He hissed as he carefully put away the unspent arrow.
Arwen had hung her head, aware of her mistake.
And of course, this mistake would haunt her forever. At least, if Elladan had his way!
She kicked the highly polished wood floor beneath her soft waterproof boots and went ungracefully back to her room, allowing her cape to drag behind her.
Once in her room, she flung the cape into a corner and then flung herself into her window seat, ignoring the beautiful frost patterns on the glass panes before her.
Stupid deer! She could have showed her brothers and her parents that she was NOT the little girl they thought she was and could help support the House just like her brothers and father. Even Celebrian could hunt and had brought home meat for the larder. She picked up her small worn doll Cimbelin who sat nearby and held her close.
Arwen put her head on her knees.
Maybe tomorrow she would show her family that she was just as good a hunter and provider as they were.
The next morning dawned grey and soft. There would be more snow before nightfall.
At breakfast, Arwen kicked her heels impatiently as her brothers recounted their efforts to find a deer, but they and their father had come home empty- handed as well.
Arwen could not resist commenting, "Well, at least I SAW a deer yesterday."
Elrohir rolled his eyes and Elladan said in a clearly unimpressed voice, "Oh? Where?"
"If I tell you, you will get her first. She is MY deer and I will be the one to catch her. So there!"
Both brothers were about to let her have it, when their father's quiet voice cut through their talk. "That is enough my sons. Arwen, where did you see this deer? We sighted nary a hoof print yesterday."
"Beyond where the river turns west, up in the-" She stopped herself and looked at her father who was smiling slightly, one eyebrow half raised.
"Yes, where the river turns west and...?"
She mumbled down at her bowl of porridge. "Nothing Ada. She is probably gone away. I-I scared her." Arwen cringed at this fib but knew by saying it that they would all think the deer had long since disappeared, which would leave her for Arwen to handle.
Celebrian spoke up softly, "Well, perhaps after lessons this morning, you and I could go and seek out the deer. Would you like that?"
Arwen raised shining eyes to her mother, "Oh Amme! That would be wonderful!"
Arwen hurriedly finished her breakfast, and when she noticed her mother and father in quiet conversation, she looked at her brothers across from her and stuck out her tongue. With a hasty wipe of her mouth, she said quickly, "May I be excused Amme, Ada?"
"Of course," Elrond said, smiling slightly at his daughter's eager leap off her chair and her rush out of the suite.
Lallalyn put a hand on her unwieldy belly. She leaned against a tree as exhaustion took her. Tears began to dribble down her cheeks and then froze half way down. Oh Pallan! Where are you? The expectant mother kept plowing through the woods, following the tracks of her husband. But it had been getting harder and harder to maintain the energy to track Pallan through the snow.
The young couple had been off to Bree from a village on the western edge of Mirkwood so that Pallan could find work. Four ragged bandits had attacked them. They had stabbed Pallan in the side and stolen their horse and supplies. Lallayn had been away from the camp looking for forage for their horse (and had taken the bow and quiver with her just in case she came across a rabbit). By the time she had gotten back, the bandits had left, and her husband was lying in the snow. She had done what she could for him and then they had set off. But the snowfall a few days before had confused them and they had gotten lost and could not find the East Road.
Lallayn sighed deeply and adjusted her thin wool cloak. But they all needed to eat. It had been a least a day, or was it more?
Wait! There were deer tracks here next to Pallan's! A veritable feast!! Lallayn wiped the crusty tears off her face and worked hard to be quiet as she followed her husband.
Arwen, the tip of her small pink tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth, worked her embroidery stitches very carefully. It would not do to make a mistake right now, and have Mama make her redo it.
Ahh! The last flower petal! She held up her embroidery frame and eyed the cascading blossoms around her Tengwar scripted alphabet and smiled. "Look Amme! I have finished that branch of jasmine! Can we go hunting now?"
Celebrian looked up from the work she was doing and glanced out the window. The sky had gotten greyer, but there was still no snow yet. It would be a good day to track the deer. She lay down her embroidery frame and rose gracefully from her chair. "Come Arwen, let us change and go hunting!"
"Yay!" Arwen covered her mouth at her exuberance and smiled at her mother. Running to hug her quickly, she rushed out of Celebrian's solarium and went to her room. Quickly pulling off her gown, she got into her one pair of leather trews (like her fathers) and pulled on a thick under shirt topped by a densely woven tunic. She sat on her bed and pulled on her boots from the day before. Hopping off, she rummaged in her wardrobe and found what she needed, her old rucksack. She was going to stuff hay in it for the hungry deer. Making sure her hair was tidily braided back, she rushed back to her parent's suite. Before entering, she knocked quietly, as her mother had requested. Receiving no reply, she frowned slightly and anxious, opened the door just a bit. The door to her parent's bedroom was slightly ajar, and she could just see her parents with their arms around each other, kissing. Her mother was just in her chemise.
Making a face, Arwen left the suite and slumped to the floor out in the corridor to wait for one of them to leave.
Rolling her eyes and putting her arms on her knees, she sighed heavily. Amme and Ada would probably be awhile before she saw one of them. Kissing! Yuck! Whatever her parents saw in kissing, Arwen could not fathom.
Arwen was just done counting the floor tiles that she could see for the third time, when the door to her left opened, and Elrond stepped out. Adjusting the collar of his dark green robe, both his eyebrows went up at Arwen sitting on the floor.
"Are you waiting for me princess?"
"No Ada. Amme. She promised to go hunting remember?"
"Ah, yes. She was dressing when I entered." He put a hand to his daughter's head fondly. "Go on, she will soon be done."
Arwen looked at her father's rather bemused expression and shook her head as she entered the suite. Parents! They could be so strange sometimes!
Rising from the floor, she went into the suite and caught her mother smiling to herself and humming quietly as she adjusted the fit of her leather tunic. She too was wearing trews and had braided her hair back.
Arwen came in and sat in a chair watching her mother.
"Are you happy to go hunting with me Amme?"
Celebrian turned, her eyes shining. Stretching suddenly she said, "Of course darling. Are you ready?"
"Yes Amme!" Arwen turned and raced ahead of her mother, who followed more slowly, still adjusting her braid. Arwen turned into the nearby armory and got her bow. Celebrian came in and pulled her bow and quiver off the wall and adjusting her quiver over her back, joined her anxious daughter at the great front doors. "Come on Amme! You are slow as a human!"
"Arwen!"
"Sorry Amme," she pulled open the carved oak door easily and rushed out into the cold. Waiting on the wide flagstone porch, she dashed off the moment her mother drew level with her and went down the stairs across the courtyard and into the stables. Pausing to track her mother's progress, she ran to her pony's stall and began putting on her tack. Finished, she stuffed dry hay into the rucksack and slung it on her shoulder.
By the time she was done, Lady Celebrian had her horse saddled and looked at Arwen expectantly. With a cheerful shout, Arwen spurred Celebloth out of the courtyard and soon mother and daughter were clattering over the bridge in the crisp cold air to the lower reaches of the nearly frozen Bruinen.
From a high balcony outside the now quiet Hall of Fire, Lord Elrond watched his wife and daughter race off. Smiling, he turned away, the plume of his breath following as he adjusted his thick fur cape. He would give them a few hours and then, he and his sons would join them. Surely between the five of them they could bring in one deer for the traditional Eve of Yule feast.
Mother and daughter dismounted and Celebrian tied the horses up in a stand of aspen saplings. Ducking beneath sagging branches covered with snow, the two she elves crept quietly in the woods where Arwen had seen the doe and fawn earlier.
Of course the animals had moved on, but the two elves moved silently searching for deer signs.
Arwen sighed frostily as her mother went carefully around the edge of a small clearing. They were never going to find the deer and then the twins would assume she had made up the story to look better than they had.
Celebrian turned to her daughter, the frost from her breath glittering in her blonde tresses like diamonds in the weak sunlight. "Come Arwen, I have found tracks!"
Arwen could barely contain herself and swiftly joined her mother. But as she did, she looked down and then noticed off to the right of them about 10 feet were another pair of tracks.
They looked like Elvish feet, but elves did not make a mark in the snow.
"Mother, there are other prints here as well, and I do not---"
"Shhh, Arwen! I see her!"
Arwen shrugged and followed after her mother. Oh well. They might be old as it had not snowed for awhile.
The little she-elf joined her mother and smiled. Yes! Her mother had found the doe and her yearling fawn! The doe was leaning up against a tree across the clearing and the fawn was close by her. There was already blood staining the ground. Her mother was quick! She ran past Celebrian, who stood with lowered bow, missing the fact that her mother still held an arrow ready to shoot.
Twang! Another arrow shot out and Arwen just caught it out of the corner of her eye as she ran. A bright hot shooting pain went through her right shoulder and she fell to the snow. She heard faintly another "thwing" over her head and a faint groan.
"Arwen!" Her mother screamed. Why was her mother screaming? She was going to frighten the doe and fawn away! The she-elf levered herself out of the snow and looked around. Why the deer had bled right here too! She looked over to the edge of the clearing opposite the deer where she saw moaning and thrashing going on. Rising slowly to her feet, Arwen saw a human male in ragged clothing writhing on the ground, an arrow through his left thigh.
Her mother's face swam into view. "Arwen love, shh, do not move. I am going to get the horses."
Arwen nodded and suddenly the pain hit her like a blow to the stomach and she started screaming to get her mother to stop. "Amme! Amme!" The blood on the snow was hers and she had an arrow in her shoulder! "Amme! Amme!" Arwen fell down again shaking and shivering in shock, her cries coming softer. The pain was excruciating and burned like fire.
Lallayn stopped frightened by the terrible turn of events. She ran awkwardly to her husband who was bleeding from an arrow in the leg. She looked up and saw a woman running out of the clearing. And then, Lallayn opened her mouth in horror: There was little girl lying in the snow with an arrow in her shoulder! Pallan must have hit her by accident trying to finish off the deer.
Celebrian, her eyes running with tears, went and quickly untied their horses and rushed back leading the animals to the glade.
She completely ignored the man moaning in the snow. He had shot her daughter and he could bleed to death for all she cared. Dropping by Arwen, she ripped a length of linen off her under shift. And then before she could think too much more about it, she quickly pulled the arrow out of Arwen's shoulder and swiftly bound the injury.
Helping her daughter get on her pony, she paused a moment startled, there was a woman kneeling next to the injured man and she was terribly pregnant. Oh Iluvatar! She'd shot the woman's husband!
But she had to get Arwen to Elrond. Once they were back at the House, Celebrian would send out elves to retrieve the wounded man and his wife.
Biting her lip, she closed her eyes and led the pony out of the glade opposite to where the woman and her man sat in the snow.
She had not gotten ten yards away, when she heard the heavy step and panting breath of the pregnant woman coming up behind her.
Celebrian, her face flushed with emotion, pulled her dagger out of her left boot and stood and faced the woman brandishing the weapon.
"Yo-you can't leave my husband here!" Lallalyn cried. "He's bleeding a lot! He didn't mean to shoot your daughter! She just ran out after the arrow was loosed! Please!" The woman reached out to Celebrian.
"I-I can and will madam! He shot my daughter! He has paid for his foolishness!" Celebrian stood there her eyes blazing. The more they stood there talking the longer Arwen sat on her pony bleeding!
She turned and walked away. But her mother's heart clenched at leaving the woman and her husband. She said without turning. "I will send help."
The woman behind her sobbed and turned back to her husband. Ooh what a nightmare this whole trip had become!