As the Leaves Wither
The sun had long since risen over a small forested area; dew from the early morning hours finally beginning to evaporate from the soil, leaving the air cool and refreshing.
For the most part the area was still; the only disturbance was when a light breeze would blow through, effortlessly coaxing nature to sway in its embrace.
Amongst the rustling of leaves and the hum of the wind, another sound was heard, a contented sigh from something other than a woodland creature.
As eloquently as falling snow, a woman dropped down from her obscured resting place upon the thick branches belonging to an evergreen tree.
After a swift flip forward, she was able to land safely on her feet.
Releasing a yawn she rose to her full height of five foot eight, her arms extending over her head in an attempt to loosen and stretch her stiff joints.
Lowering her arms, her eyes slit open, revealing a brilliant emerald iris as her right eye, however in contrast, the color of her left eye mostly resembled gray stone.
Her complexion was fair, almost porcelain like; a mark of her ancestral inheritance, but her hair was another matter. Offsetting all her light features, her tresses were a dark shade of auburn that hung in waves all the way to her waist.
The woman must have stood there for near half an hour, soaking in the few rays of sunlight that managed to break through the forest canopy. It wasn't until her stomach made an uncomfortable grumble that she was broken from the trance.
A small smile curved her rosy lips as she reached up behind her head, taking hold of her auburn locks and pulling them up as she simultaneously pulled the hood of her gray cloak over her head, effectively pinning her locks within its confines and out of her way.
Beneath her cloak she wore regular cloth leggings that were a dark coffee color along with knee high leather boots. Upon her upper body she wore a dark gray tunic over a tan undershirt, with a leather belt around her waist to keep her tunic in place. And lastly she wore her leather armguards that bore only sliced nicks as decoration.
Performing one last stretch for her stiff joints, she glanced around one final time, noting the breeze to be the only other movement besides herself.
Releasing a huff, she turned to her left, heading over towards a spot where the foliage was exceptionally thick. Bending over she reached into the brush, feeling around, until with a light smirk, she withdrew what she had sought. At her feet now lay her trusty rucksack that held numerous odds and ends; along with her weapons of choice.
She took a quick moment to pull out a small bundle of cloth, unwrapping it revealed a small piece of bread she quickly downed before shaking the loose crumbs from the cloth and placing it back with the rest of her belongings.
That had been her last bit of food, she would either need to find someone to barter with, or hunt down her next meal. Either would have to wait for her to complete her current contract.
After downing a fraction of the water remaining in her canteen to wash down the bread, she reached to her neck to pull up a small black cloth to conceal the lower half of her face.
She then took hold of her sword; its type being that of a hand-and-a-half sword, or more commonly known as a bastard sword. With practiced hands, she quickly adorned her sword belt, positioning her sword so it hung properly over her left hip.
Next she took hold of her leather quiver which held around twenty five arrows; holstering it over her back and cloak by means of three leather straps. One that trailed over her left shoulder and down the middle of her chest where it attached to the two other leather straps that wrapped around her midsection, just over her ribcage.
It was these times that she was glad to only be moderately sized in the chest area considering anything bigger than what she was would only get in the way.
Bending back down the woman took hold of the cloth strap of her rucksack, pulling it onto her left shoulder, while taking her wooden longbow in hand.
She had considered slinging it over her shoulder, however opted not to. There was no telling when she would intercept her quarry; she would have to be prepared.
As she headed off, her mind drifted, contemplating over numerous thoughts that had been plaguing her.
The main one being of this stranger that she was currently on the hunt for, facts just didn't add up as smoothly as they should. Not to mention she didn't have near as much information to go on as she normally demanded. However her money pouch had grown light and she had no recent luck in obtaining any valuable animal pelts to barter with despite her skills.
Life seemed to be growing more scarce and dismal wherever she traveled, the very reason why she found herself avoiding interaction.
At the very least she was given a location in which to hunt for this Ranger, but even that brought more doubt to her mind. Rivendell was not the type of place to harbor criminals, especially this one if what she were told were true. Elves would never protect a wicked man.
She was awoken from her thoughts as she stumbled over a root at the edge of the forest. Shaking her head she continued on, cursing herself for being so absorbed in her musing.
All would be made clear soon. She would confront this Ranger, this Strider, and kill him if what was relayed to her proved to be true.
Faster than a blink, five hours had passed, her feet having already carried her across a great distance and for the last hour she had been holding her breath, expecting at any moment to catch sight of the man.
Proven true, she saw movement in the distance; however it wasn't what she expected. Instead of a single silhouette that could possibly be her target she saw a group of nine. This couldn't be who she sought. Then again, she couldn't ignore that they were coming from the direction of Rivendell.
Experience taught her to be weary, so instead she sunk low to the ground and hurried towards a large rock formation that lay a good distance from the path, but close enough that she could strike down a target via archery.
As soon as she reached the rocks, she went to work removing her rucksack and setting it out of sight.
With well-practiced movements she scaled the more steep side of the rocks to be certain she wouldn't be seen. Perhaps over cautious considering no human could see this far. In truth it was only thanks to her father's blood that she had seen them in advance.
As she reached the top of the rocks, she maneuvered down to her side, setting her bow next to herself as she shimmied forward a bit so she could survey the group without worry of being spotted as they neared.
It took around thirty minutes for them to near enough for her to truly examine them. In which time she had taken to study the wind speed and her surroundings to strengthen her accuracy.
Her stomach dropped. The man in the front was indeed Strider, he matched the description perfectly. She had hoped to speak with him first and iron out the wrinkles that pleaded with her not to loose an arrow in his direction.
Examining the group that traveled with him, she noted that she now only saw eight. She would have analyzed the lack of additional man; alas she was distracted by four of those that she saw. Not only was Strider heavily armed, but he was with what appeared to be a Wizard, a Dwarf, and another man who also seemed to be seasoned in combat.
The four kids traveling with them brought questions to her mind as well.
She was on the cliff of a major dilemma. She could strike down from a distance and possibly kill a good man, or she could confront him, find out he is what she was told and be prevented from killing him by his comrades.
The risk of the latter was too great.
Taking a slow breath through the fabric that still remained over her face; she reached back, removing a single arrow from her quiver.
It was there that she waited, knowing that they would need to be past her location before she set to strike, otherwise she would be spotted.
It didn't take long; still she waited until they were eighty yards away, then without hesitation she sprung upwards to her knee.
Pulling her bow to her front, she quickly knocked the arrow before pulling the string to full tautness. Her eyes trained to Strider's back from under her hood as she drew in a steading breath, but she paused when she noted the other man to be missing.
That brief lapse in time broke her focus and to her advantage, alarmed her that she was no longer alone.
Spinning on her knee, she found herself face to face, or rather, bow to bow with an Elf, his azure eyes sharp as an eagle's.
Where had he come from? And for that matter why had he been prepping to strike at her from behind?
He must have read the confusion in the way her body shifted because he took the opportunity to hook his bow into hers, causing the arrows to be misfired before he spun around sending his heel into her gut; effectively knocking her backwards from the rocks.
Perplexed was an understatement to describe how she felt as the air began to whirl around her body as she descended to the ground seventeen feet below.
Her bewilderment was momentarily forgotten as she made contact with ground; the shock of the impact upon her back knocking the wind straight out of her lungs.
Scrunching her eyes closed she took a strangled breath, most of her pain having come from the way she awkwardly landed on her quiver.
She had just remembered the dire situation she had put herself in when she felt the cold kiss of a blade land on her right hand which had been on its way towards the hilt of her sword.
Her breath came back to her in an instant as she opened her eyes to find herself looking up at the man who had disappeared; his voice falling from his lips in a deep baritone.
"Who are you?"
Her frown deepened as she heard the shouts from none other than Strider and his fellows heading in their direction. Not to mention, the Elf would be down from the rocks soon.
Noting that his sword was poised as a warning, and not ready to strike, she slapped it away and was on her feet in a moment.
She didn't have a chance. Only a short distance had been covered before the Elf was in her path. She did her best to avoid him; however he had reached forward and taken grip of her quiver before she could gain decent footing, using it as leverage to slam her to the ground.
This time when the man pointed his sword at her body, it was her neck.
"Attempt to flee again and I will end you."
Her consideration on trying again ceased when the others arrived, or more precise the ones she was weary over, for the four little ones stayed a good bit away with the horse they kept in their company to tote supplies.
"Legolas, what's going on? Who is this man?"
She had to bite her tongue to keep from chuckling, the momentary merriment disappearing as the Elf she assumed to be Legolas spoke, his voice melodious to her ears despite the fact he was speaking with disdain, proof of his being.
"I do not know, but she is the reason I split off earlier. I spotted her taking position upon the rocks."
The others paused in surprise, Legolas must have taken note of her gender when he struck her, or at least she assumed that was how. Frowning she started to shift to sit up, but was halted when the man pressed his blade closer to her neck, forcing her to sink back to the ground.
"Boromir, any closer and you'll kill her before we receive an explanation."
"You shouldn't be so trusting Aragorn, she was making a move to retaliate I'm sure."
"Aragorn?!"
All eyes fell upon her and she had never felt so small in her life.
"So the lassie speaks. I'm not fond of harming a female, but if you don't explain yourself soon I might give Boromir my blessing to do so."
"Gimli, that's enough. She'll never answer us with threats."
Slowly she moved to sit up, growing more confused with each word this man Aragorn, who she had taken to be Strider, spoke.
She was reminded of Boromir's sword as he tapped her shoulder with it, motioning for her not to attempt standing up. She grew nervous, wondering whether or not she should question him. For all she knew the moment she spoke his name, her head might be cleaved from her neck.
It was only when the Wizard, she had heard called Gandalf, kneeled before her that she looked any of them straight in the eye. Whether or not he could see much of her face she wasn't sure, for her hood now hung a little lower and the face cloth had fallen just below her nose.
"I will give you my word that we will not harm you, but that is only if you explain yourself."
He only removed his eyes from her long enough to motion for Boromir to sheath his sword, the man doing so but his hand remained ready on the hilt.
She was silent for a long while; she hadn't been given much choice, so slowly as to not alarm them she reached up to pull the cloth down from her face so that her voice would not be muffled.
"I was sent here to kill a man by the name of Strider."
There was a pregnant silence that followed, before finally the man of topic stepped forward, his arms slowly crossing as he spoke, his voice firm.
"I was once known as that, but I still do not understand why someone would wish to have me killed."
"The man did not give me much detail. He only said you had done him a disservice and was bound to do more to others. To be quite honest I wasn't so sure of coming after you. I had planned to confront you before striking. However with so many at your side, I couldn't risk being overtaken if you proved to be the man he described."
After taking in her words, he slowly reached out his hand towards where she remained upon the ground.
Wearily she took it, allowing him to assist her in standing, even though she didn't truly need the help.
"You must realize by now that I am not. After all, do you really think a cruel man would have an Elf as well as Hobbits in his company?"
Her arms had fallen still at her sides as she shifted her gaze to the four little ones she had thought were children, and then finally she shifted her attention the Elf, Legolas.
She wasn't expecting him to step forward as soon as their eyes connected. His hand reaching forth quicker then she could pull back and with one swift movement, her auburn locks were falling in waves over her shoulders and back.
No longer blocked by the hood, her attuned ears picked up a change in breath to her right where the man Boromir stood, however her focus was on Legolas, for his eyes only narrowed when he caught sight of her gray optic.
At this action, Gandalf had moved over, wishing to see what was troubling the Elf.
"My, my, yours eyes are quite unusual. Curious…"
The elderly man lifted his hand, gently taking her chin in hold so that he could examine her irises. She could read apprehension in his eyes, so she decided to counter before he questioned.
"My eyes have always been this color. Whether they look disconcerting or not, was never my choice."
Studying her face, he nodded, dropping his hand as she stepped back.
"I see, well I trust that when we leave you will not follow. That you now realize Aragorn is not a man to be killed."
The switch was so sudden, that she was left speechless for a moment. And even though his tone brooked no argument, she did.
"No."
This time the Dwarf, Gimli spoke up.
"And why isn't it?"
"Because unfortunately I have been fooled before and many lost their lives when I gave a truly wicked man the benefit of the doubt. Although I ended him eventually, I could have prevented a good deal of suffering. Let me accompany you all so that I can see his deeds with my own eyes. As soon as I'm satisfied I will leave."
Her gaze shifted between them, watching as they took in her words and contemplated. Gandalf was the one to speak.
"And how do we know, that you aren't planning to stab Aragorn in the back?"
"I would give you my word; however understandably I doubt that will be enough to quell your concern. Whatever is needed to make your decision easier, I will agree."
Aragorn moved forward until he stood directly in front of her, forcing her to look up, otherwise she would have been starring at the hollow of his throat.
"Since we don't know how cunning a hunter you are, would you even agree to being disarmed with your wrists bound?"
"Yes."
He seemed surprised by her quick agreement, when such a decision would leave her defenseless amongst a group of males.
"Although I wish to study you Str…Aragorn, even though I am a stranger, I do not feel Gandalf would sit idly by while something atrocious was done to me. I see nothing but kindness in his eyes."
At her words Gandalf chuckled, his gaze shifting to Aragorn for a good moment before he nodded. Perhaps they had decided that it would be more troublesome to leave her to her own devices, then to have her accompany them
"What an attune little lady, since it seems you'll be traveling with us, will you not give us your name?"
She had to keep herself from jumping when Boromir reached around her to undo her sword belt, Legolas as well moving to unclasp her quiver, for he had already retrieved her bow and had it stowed over his shoulder.
"M-my name is Caleigh."
Although she had agreed to be disarmed, she still made note of where her weapons now resided, Legolas had taken charge of her bow and arrows, while Boromir took her blades. The clever man was even smart enough to check Caleigh's boot where she kept a hidden knife.
"Come lassie; let me see your hands."
She moved her hands forward so that he could bind her wrists with rope; she was relieved that he didn't tie them too tight which had been what she expected a Dwarf to do.
"Caleigh are you certain of this? We will strike you down without hesitation if you prove to be lying."
"Then there is no need for me to be concerned. The same goes for you Aragorn."
Caleigh was a little surprised when he smiled at her comment, turning on his heel to head back up towards the path where the Hobbits continued to wait.
"Oh wait, I have a rucksack by the rocks, there are useful items in there that I would rather not leave."
Gandalf gave a light nod as he turned to follow Aragorn, requesting Boromir to retrieve it as Legolas motioned for her to start walking so that he could stand behind. Although the Elf had voiced no complaint and had merely observed, it was clear he was very weary of her.
She was tempted to laugh as she walked up the path. What a day it had turned out to be. Though she wasn't concerned about her future for she saw little harm in following a group of travelers. Proof she knew very little about those around her.
As for being tied up with a group of males? Still no concern for her words were true about Gandalf, but even more than that, even when having an arrow leveled in her direction, she never read malevolence in the crystal blue depths of the Elf's eyes.
Once the group had been reunited, they wasted not a moment and continued on the path they had been on before Caleigh's little interruption.
A solid ten minutes had passed when she had finally reached her wits end at the questioning gaze the four Hobbits were burning into her back. Slowing her pace, she gave them time to catch up, Legolas having matched her movements, while still staying a few paces behind. No doubt scouting as well as watching her.
Doing a light shake of her head so that her auburn locks would be out of her way, she offered a soft smile.
"I'm Caleigh."
The one in the middle with the darkest hair gave a sheepish smile while a slightly plump one shifted over, doing his best to shake one of your bound hands, which you obliged.
"I'm Sam, this here's Frodo, and over there is Merry and Pippin. All nine of us are on an important quest. We're-"
A cough from Gandalf interrupted him before he could finish, and although she was curious, she wouldn't pry, she'd watch.
"Miss Caleigh, why are you tied up?"
"Reasons that you need not worry about Sam, just misunderstandings that will eventually be ironed out I'm sure."
"Oh I see."
And just like that all fell into a relatively comfortable silence. Each individual saving their focus for the trek on the path they were walking.
And this gave Caleigh time to truly begin pondering on what strong bond seemed to be connecting these nine males to the road they were on. Perhaps she was wrong and they weren't simply travel companions.
Regardless, she was stuck on this path until she made her mind up about the man Aragorn.
