Chapter Two
Liera stirred when she heard the door open and she shot her eyes open when she heard a heavy breathing. Standing less than five feet away was a trio of Orcs, and before she could move to get out of bed, an arrow was shot and hit her in the right thigh. She fell off the bed, gasping in pain and tried to take the arrow from her leg while taking temporary refuge behind the mattresses. Blood gushed from the wound as the arrowhead emerged from her flesh, and she noticed something odd about it. She gulped as she realized what it was. "Poisoned arrows…"
She jumped up in rage; ready to let the Orcs finish their task, but was surprised to see only one remained standing. Through his head at that exact moment, through flesh and bone, came an arrow from the bow of Legolas. The now dead Orc fell atop the others as Legolas ran over it to the side of the wounded Liera. She collapsed to the side of the bed, clutching onto it to stay up. Legolas helped her limp from the room (throom- inside joke, ha ha) into the hallway, where the others were gathered as well, all gasping for breath or wounded. Danel had a deep cut on her cheek from an arrow, but ignored it as she helped Merry stand with his wounded leg. Reicu was carrying a half-dead Pippin, who had severe damage from arrows in his internal organs, but he himself had slashes in his forearms, clearly made by arrows. Sam had gotten away with a bruised forehead, and Gandalf was completely unscathed.
Liera didn't want to frighten the rest of the company with her discovery of the Orcs' poison arrows, so she kept quiet. "We had better leave this place," Legolas said, glancing nervously about. "I feel as though this was a deliberate attempt on our lives." He looked down at the struggling Liera, who now had poison coursing through her veins. "I fear the Orcs had poisoned arrows."
At those words, Liera fell from the hold of Legolas, unconscious, to the stone floor. As Legolas bent down to lift Legolas, Merry demanded something of him. "Why would it be deliberate? Is someone after us? Are the Faeries behind this?"
Reicu glared at Danel. "Why don't you ask her?" he retorted, shifting Pippin's weight in his arms. "My sister is dying now because of…"
Danel cut him off with a hard slap across his face. "Don't you ever speak to me that way again, Reicu, or I will shoot you on the spot and you damn well know I could do it without you even knowing!" Danel retorted, then helped Merry begin walking again.
Before reaching a nearby stairwell however, a familiar purple sprite came from it. "Dane! Danel!" she cried frantically. "I must help you! Follow me!"
Danel said one word in response to this that she had never said to her friend before. "No."
"But Danel…"
"How do I know you won't lead us to more Orcs?"
"Danel, I had nothing to do with this! The leaders! The Orcs would burn the forest if we didn't do what they said! I didn't want to! Let me help, Danel! Let me help all of you!"
Danel stared at the Faerie. "Get us out, Tanah." Danel still didn't want to trust the Faeries.
Tanah flew away down a hall and the group had trouble following with the wounds, but in a few moments they reached a dead end with a window. "You said there was a way out!" Samwise protested.
Legolas glanced out the three-storie high window and saw another large group of Orcs nearing the sprites' fortress. "If you don't get us out of here, we'll all die! Including you, Faerie, because I will personally wring your neck!"
The Faerie sighed as she grew more and more annoyed with this Wood Elf. "This way," she said plainly, then flew straight through the wall to the right. "This way!"
As Danel and Merry went through the "wall" after the sprite, Danel shot a look of pure and utter anger at Legolas. The fellowship all found themselves in a hidden passage covered with vines and cobwebs, having not been used in many years. It was at a steep slant, so they had a hard time standing, especially with the two unconscious ones. "How do we know this isn't a trap?" Gandalf demanded.
"You don't." Tanah said angrily. "But the only choice now is to trust me… or go back and be slaughtered by the Orcs!" Tanah turned and started down the steep corridor.
"What about our horses?" Merry asked. "And food?"
"You have enough food to last you to the end of the passage, if that's what you're asking," Tanah said, still continuing down the hall. "But as for the horses… they're probably dead by now."
"So you expect us to travel this hall for God knows how long on foot!?" Legolas said, suddenly just losing control.
Gandalf lost his temper at the bad attitude the Elf was showing. "You will follow the Faerie or die with the Orcs! Choose now, Legolas!" Reicu smirked at the other Elf, and Legolas couldn't rightly do anything back since he carried Liera in his arms. As Legolas shifted Liera in his arms, an Orc stumbled through the wall as though he had tried to lean upon it, and Legolas handed the Elven girl to Gandalf. "Run!" he shouting, trying to get everyone to get out of there.
All of the rest of the fellowship ran down the corridor, but Danel stayed behind with Merry to watch for Legolas' safekeeping. "Legolas! Come on!" Danel cried, helping Merry hobble.
"Go, Danel! Get Merry out of here!" Legolas called, facing the Orc that was slowly advancing. It grumbled something unintelligible, and three more Orcs came through the illusion that was displayed as a wall.
"No!" Danel shouted as all four of the Orcs at once raised bows and swords. Two arrows shot forward, piercing Legolas in the chest. "Legolas!"
Legolas stood frozen in a mixture of pain and shock for a moment, then fell to his knees, and barely stayed for a second before toppling backward to the hard stone floor. Danel leaned Merry against the vine- covered wall as the four Orcs came toward them. The rest of the fellowship had still gone on; they were completely alone. Danel fought back tears as she readied her bow and arrow. She shot three of them after another, and then the fourth one caught her leg with its sword before an arrow sliced through its skull.
Danel turned to Merry with tears and gave him a look, no words, which said she would be right back to help him. She ran to Legolas' motionless form. She ignored the gash in her leg as she ripped the end of her tunic off and began to apply pressure to Legolas' wounds. She attempted to remove the arrows as she spoke to herself, not caring if Merry was there or not. "Oh, God, please don't die Legolas…" She had an odd sense of De Ja Vu, but had no recollection of anyone whom she cared about dying. "Legolas…?" Legolas began to stir, and she forgot about her premonitions.
"I'll be fine…ow!" he cried as both the arrows were pulled from his chest, but because of the pressure Danel had applied, not much blood came from the wounds. "Thank you, Danel…"
Danel looked into his eyes as she trembled in the cold hall, and a bit of her hair dangled above his face. "You're cold," he said, tucking the strand of hair behind her ear. His hand stayed at her cheek and his thumb touched the place where an arrow grazed her face earlier. She leaned down and their lips touched tenderly for a moment.
"Danel!" Merry turned to get Danel, and saw the two kissing on the ground, but hearing his voice caused them both to shoot their heads up. "Er… um… they're coming back to find us! They're right there!"
Danel helped Legolas to his feet slowly and painfully as the group grew closer. Gandalf raised his eyebrows at the two when the company arrived, and the blush on Danel's face could back up his hypothesis of what had happened. "Tanah estimates four to five hours of travel down this tunnel which goes underground, then we will find ourselves about two hours away from the town, Zeoba."
Sam helped Merry hobble now as Danel helped Legolas walk, which was fascinating to her that he could even move at all. She then had the realization of what she had just done, and judging by the look on Legolas' face, he did as well. He looked at her, and then the fellowship started back down the passage.
Liera stirred when she heard the door open and she shot her eyes open when she heard a heavy breathing. Standing less than five feet away was a trio of Orcs, and before she could move to get out of bed, an arrow was shot and hit her in the right thigh. She fell off the bed, gasping in pain and tried to take the arrow from her leg while taking temporary refuge behind the mattresses. Blood gushed from the wound as the arrowhead emerged from her flesh, and she noticed something odd about it. She gulped as she realized what it was. "Poisoned arrows…"
She jumped up in rage; ready to let the Orcs finish their task, but was surprised to see only one remained standing. Through his head at that exact moment, through flesh and bone, came an arrow from the bow of Legolas. The now dead Orc fell atop the others as Legolas ran over it to the side of the wounded Liera. She collapsed to the side of the bed, clutching onto it to stay up. Legolas helped her limp from the room (throom- inside joke, ha ha) into the hallway, where the others were gathered as well, all gasping for breath or wounded. Danel had a deep cut on her cheek from an arrow, but ignored it as she helped Merry stand with his wounded leg. Reicu was carrying a half-dead Pippin, who had severe damage from arrows in his internal organs, but he himself had slashes in his forearms, clearly made by arrows. Sam had gotten away with a bruised forehead, and Gandalf was completely unscathed.
Liera didn't want to frighten the rest of the company with her discovery of the Orcs' poison arrows, so she kept quiet. "We had better leave this place," Legolas said, glancing nervously about. "I feel as though this was a deliberate attempt on our lives." He looked down at the struggling Liera, who now had poison coursing through her veins. "I fear the Orcs had poisoned arrows."
At those words, Liera fell from the hold of Legolas, unconscious, to the stone floor. As Legolas bent down to lift Legolas, Merry demanded something of him. "Why would it be deliberate? Is someone after us? Are the Faeries behind this?"
Reicu glared at Danel. "Why don't you ask her?" he retorted, shifting Pippin's weight in his arms. "My sister is dying now because of…"
Danel cut him off with a hard slap across his face. "Don't you ever speak to me that way again, Reicu, or I will shoot you on the spot and you damn well know I could do it without you even knowing!" Danel retorted, then helped Merry begin walking again.
Before reaching a nearby stairwell however, a familiar purple sprite came from it. "Dane! Danel!" she cried frantically. "I must help you! Follow me!"
Danel said one word in response to this that she had never said to her friend before. "No."
"But Danel…"
"How do I know you won't lead us to more Orcs?"
"Danel, I had nothing to do with this! The leaders! The Orcs would burn the forest if we didn't do what they said! I didn't want to! Let me help, Danel! Let me help all of you!"
Danel stared at the Faerie. "Get us out, Tanah." Danel still didn't want to trust the Faeries.
Tanah flew away down a hall and the group had trouble following with the wounds, but in a few moments they reached a dead end with a window. "You said there was a way out!" Samwise protested.
Legolas glanced out the three-storie high window and saw another large group of Orcs nearing the sprites' fortress. "If you don't get us out of here, we'll all die! Including you, Faerie, because I will personally wring your neck!"
The Faerie sighed as she grew more and more annoyed with this Wood Elf. "This way," she said plainly, then flew straight through the wall to the right. "This way!"
As Danel and Merry went through the "wall" after the sprite, Danel shot a look of pure and utter anger at Legolas. The fellowship all found themselves in a hidden passage covered with vines and cobwebs, having not been used in many years. It was at a steep slant, so they had a hard time standing, especially with the two unconscious ones. "How do we know this isn't a trap?" Gandalf demanded.
"You don't." Tanah said angrily. "But the only choice now is to trust me… or go back and be slaughtered by the Orcs!" Tanah turned and started down the steep corridor.
"What about our horses?" Merry asked. "And food?"
"You have enough food to last you to the end of the passage, if that's what you're asking," Tanah said, still continuing down the hall. "But as for the horses… they're probably dead by now."
"So you expect us to travel this hall for God knows how long on foot!?" Legolas said, suddenly just losing control.
Gandalf lost his temper at the bad attitude the Elf was showing. "You will follow the Faerie or die with the Orcs! Choose now, Legolas!" Reicu smirked at the other Elf, and Legolas couldn't rightly do anything back since he carried Liera in his arms. As Legolas shifted Liera in his arms, an Orc stumbled through the wall as though he had tried to lean upon it, and Legolas handed the Elven girl to Gandalf. "Run!" he shouting, trying to get everyone to get out of there.
All of the rest of the fellowship ran down the corridor, but Danel stayed behind with Merry to watch for Legolas' safekeeping. "Legolas! Come on!" Danel cried, helping Merry hobble.
"Go, Danel! Get Merry out of here!" Legolas called, facing the Orc that was slowly advancing. It grumbled something unintelligible, and three more Orcs came through the illusion that was displayed as a wall.
"No!" Danel shouted as all four of the Orcs at once raised bows and swords. Two arrows shot forward, piercing Legolas in the chest. "Legolas!"
Legolas stood frozen in a mixture of pain and shock for a moment, then fell to his knees, and barely stayed for a second before toppling backward to the hard stone floor. Danel leaned Merry against the vine- covered wall as the four Orcs came toward them. The rest of the fellowship had still gone on; they were completely alone. Danel fought back tears as she readied her bow and arrow. She shot three of them after another, and then the fourth one caught her leg with its sword before an arrow sliced through its skull.
Danel turned to Merry with tears and gave him a look, no words, which said she would be right back to help him. She ran to Legolas' motionless form. She ignored the gash in her leg as she ripped the end of her tunic off and began to apply pressure to Legolas' wounds. She attempted to remove the arrows as she spoke to herself, not caring if Merry was there or not. "Oh, God, please don't die Legolas…" She had an odd sense of De Ja Vu, but had no recollection of anyone whom she cared about dying. "Legolas…?" Legolas began to stir, and she forgot about her premonitions.
"I'll be fine…ow!" he cried as both the arrows were pulled from his chest, but because of the pressure Danel had applied, not much blood came from the wounds. "Thank you, Danel…"
Danel looked into his eyes as she trembled in the cold hall, and a bit of her hair dangled above his face. "You're cold," he said, tucking the strand of hair behind her ear. His hand stayed at her cheek and his thumb touched the place where an arrow grazed her face earlier. She leaned down and their lips touched tenderly for a moment.
"Danel!" Merry turned to get Danel, and saw the two kissing on the ground, but hearing his voice caused them both to shoot their heads up. "Er… um… they're coming back to find us! They're right there!"
Danel helped Legolas to his feet slowly and painfully as the group grew closer. Gandalf raised his eyebrows at the two when the company arrived, and the blush on Danel's face could back up his hypothesis of what had happened. "Tanah estimates four to five hours of travel down this tunnel which goes underground, then we will find ourselves about two hours away from the town, Zeoba."
Sam helped Merry hobble now as Danel helped Legolas walk, which was fascinating to her that he could even move at all. She then had the realization of what she had just done, and judging by the look on Legolas' face, he did as well. He looked at her, and then the fellowship started back down the passage.