3. Elladan woke her in the middle of the night. She rubbed…..

Elladan woke her in the middle of the night. She rubbed her eyes, squinting in the remnants of the fire. She looked up at the Elf: "What's going on?"

"We are leaving. The sun will rise in two hours. The enemy is nearing, we need to reach a place from where we have the advantage."

She felt the blood drain from her face and scrambled to her feet. They were not even going to evade those creatures, but meet them head on! This was not a survival mission to get her to Rivendell. This was a battle. She shuddered at the thought, fear creeping up her legs into her stomach. The cloak fell on the ground with a thud. Elladan bent to pick it up and draped it over her shoulders. "Keep it on, you will need it."

He guided her towards his brother who was already mounted on his horse, a white stallion with wild manes. Her sword was, probably intentionally, still strapped on the other animal.

She looked apprehensive at the horse, hesitating. Elladan sensed her unease: "Are you not accustomed to horses?"

"I have never ridden one."

Elrohir scowled at her. His brother looked at him pointedly. After a short stare between them, he silently offered her a hand which she took reluctantly. She felt the calloused warm skin. He pulled her in one swift motion on the horse and sat her down before him on the saddle.

She stiffened when he reached around her to grasp the reigns. She felt his chest against her back, his warmth instantly penetrating her body, his strong body odor almost overwhelming her. He noticed her discomfort immediately but instead of the harsh words that she expected, he said softly in her ear: "Suldal will bear any rider that I order him to. He will not let you fall."

"Suldal?"

"Aye. It means Windfoot. When we reach open terrain you will understand his name better."

Whilst speaking, his breath tickled her neck and ear, causing goosebumps that send a warmth to her belly which felt entirely inappropriate. She tried to ignore her body's reaction and relax against his chest. But the warmth of the horse between her legs was not helping and Elrohir's chest kept on heating not only her back but insides as well. After a few minutes, her hormones thankfully let her be and she could relax, surrendering to the slow movements of the horse and the man behind her.

There was not much to see of their surroundings in the starlight. She could hear small sounds around her that she could not place and louder ones in the distance that seemed to come from fox like creatures. After a while, the steady movements of the horse were lulling her to sleep.

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When she woke again, dawn was upon them. Majestically the sun rose over the rugged terrain, giving the boulders large shadows. The low vegetation tainted red in the light of the upcoming sun, giving the grey boulders a dramatic touch.

They moved slowly through the landscape, the boulders making it hard for the horses to move swiftly. She frowned. As if Elrohir could read her mind he said softly: "We will reach the plains soon. Then we can make haste through these lands. For now we will have to suffer this slow pace."

Time moved slowly, slow as the steady pace of the horses that trotted carefully through the rugged terrain. The elven brothers halted regularly. Elladan stood on high boulders from time to time, eyes closed with his nose in the wind, sensing his surroundings. Rin did not feel anything or hear anything suspicious. As she had noticed before, the Elves must have senses that differed greatly from those of mortals.

From time to time, her mind was still reeling at the situation she found herself in. But the reality of her surroundings, the presence of these Elves, made her accept it almost easily. When she thought of home she did not feel emotional. There was no life, only her sword kept her company. Even Hideo was just a distraction to forget the pain, the pain of her parents and sister dying in that horrible event.

But she did feel regret: she had a task to perform still at home. A task that would be impossible if she stayed trapped here in this strange world. She closed her eyes momentarily trying to evade the memories in her mind, taking deep breaths. She could not let herself wander there at this moment.

Elrohir had been silent the whole day, stoically steering the horse. But he seemed to sense her distress immediately. He moved slightly in the saddle, pressing himself even more close to her and said gruffly in her ear: "Is something troubling you?"

She frowned. Did he have a sixth sense or something? "No, I am ok." she answered shortly. She really did not want to talk with him about these feelings.

He seemed to sense her reluctance immediately "I thought I sensed darkness in your thoughts. I see I was wrong." he said it in a clipped tone as well.

She was startled by his tone of voice. Elrohir seemed to be a very closed up person. It was unwise to anger her captors and he seemed less forgiving and more harsh in his judgement than his brother. Would he close up even more when she immediately crushed this attempt to get in contact with her?

Making up her mind, she said softly: "Forgive me. You did sense correctly. I was recalling a traumatic event, or I was trying to not recall it. It surprised and irritated me that you could tell so easily."

"I am of Elf blood." he shrugged. As if it was the clearest fact in the world.

"What do you mean?"

"Tch… Elves have heightened perceptiveness, instead of mortals, mortals are short from blind." he said irritable.

"Well I never met an Elf before or a Half-Elf. All I have learned about now is that elves are quick to anger and short for words!" she quipped back.

Elladan burst out in a happy laughter which made her grin. To her surprise, Elrohir bent his head towards her neck and whispered: "Careful there Rin. Elves are masters in battles of wit. Do not provoke me." But for the first time she could just feel his smile shining through.

She suddenly noticed that his hand lay on her left leg for a while now. Almost protectively. He seemed to notice the same and quickly took the reigns again. She could not help but think about his teasing that seemed not in pace with his character at first sight. Could it be that this more stern and grumpy brother just effectively made her angry on purpose to forget her dark thoughts?

"Let your mind not be troubled. We will soon have the wind blow any dark thought out of our heads." He had not said it or the last boulders seemed to melt away in the landscape and the horses broke out in a thundering pace. She had no choice but to move with the pace of the horse and the elf behind her. The wind swept at her hair and made her eyes sting. The cold wind seemed to go right through the cape, waking her body up.

And see! All dark thoughts were wiped out by the sheer adrenaline that took hold of her. And suddenly she laughed and yelled with all her might in the wind, sitting up straight in the saddle. Her voice a clear ringing sound that seemed to please both brothers. They grinned in unison at her euphoria, but kept concentrating on maintaining their fast pace, still vigilant of their foes.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

When the sun was at its highest point they made a first stop. They stretched their legs and ate a modest breakfast. Then Elrohir took her sword from Elladan's saddle and strapped it on his own. He noticed her eyes following him but he ignored her.

When he was done he turned towards her and smiled. He grabbed her hand and led her to his horse, a dark grey stallion with long lashes and sleek muscles, build for speed. "Do not fear Rin, we understand how important your weapon is to you. It will not be lost to you as long as we draw breath. You will feel its hilt again."

She looked at him in earnest. "No. You do not understand the importance of that sword to me. If you knew, you would not part me of it." He looked surprised at her words.

"Will you elaborate when riding? Despite the habit of my twin, I enjoy conversation while travelling." He held out his hand to her. She accepted with a frown and he put her on the horse in one swift motion. Jumping lightley behind her in the saddle, taking the reigns aligning his body with hers.

"This is Mithroch, which means grey horse. He will carry you as a friend."

When they took off at a steady pace, he wrapped his arm around her waist which made her breath hitch in her throat and heat pool in her stomach. She felt his chuckle reverberate through her neck and chest, his breath warm. But she noticed that he did not apologize for this intimacy nor did he remove his arm.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

When the sun reached the horizon again and the shadows grew longer, the plains made way for small trees. She recognized pine trees, but they were small barely reaching her shoulder. The horses slowed down to an easy trod. Soon the trees grew larger and dusk seemed to catch on. The sweet smell of pines soothed her senses. She sighed contented. Elladan shifted in the saddle behind her. "They smell good don't they?"

She stiffened. What was up with these brothers? Could they read her mind?

"Yes, they do. Smells like home…"

"You have these trees in your home land?"

"Yes, this particular tree is important in my country … every garden has one." she remembered the pine trees around her uncle's cabin. She associated it with a sense of peace. After the event she found some kind of peace there in the woods. The smell of pine trees brought her comfort.

She almost felt him smile behind her. "I would love to see one of your gardens if they have trees in them"

"You only like gardens with trees?"

" Well, my Elf blood makes me feel a connection with all living things and to some extend even non-living things around me. A tree is connected to me at a level that a stone or plant is not. Trees have a mind of their own. A garden is but a mere shadow of nature itself, without trees it would be incomplete."

His words puzzled her: "I don't think I completely understand… nor will I ever."

He laughed at her, a clear sound that filled her with unreasonable happiness. "There is much to learn in this world for either of us I think. Tell me Rin, what is your country called?"

"It is called Nippon or Japan, it means the suns origin" she smiled at the absurdity of it all. Just pronouncing the name of her homeland made her feel giddy with the ridiculous situation she found herself in and had no control over.

Elladan tasted the words in his mouth. "Nippon? The sun's origin? It must be a beautiful and bright place where you come from Rin."

"It is, but it is not a perfect world." her mood darkened slightly.

"Tell me about your sword?" He asked for it innocently, but she suspected that he immediately understood what lay beneath her last remark. He sensed that she had some kind of trauma that was connected to the sword. She felt transparent, almost naked, her secrets almost casually revealed by these brothers.

Elladan seemed to sense her anxiety and he reassured her: "You do not have to disclose any painful memories if you do not wish to. I was merely curious. It bears great meaning to you and it is a weapon unlike I have ever encountered. And I have lived for many centuries."

"Centuries?"

"Aye, although we are Half-Elves, we are immortal until our hearts choose their destiny. We have roamed these lands for centuries now and have seen many secrets and histories. But your sword, I cannot place it."

"Well… it is distinctly Japanese. We call it a katana.."

"Katana… "

"Yes, it is a single-edged sword with a long history. Japanese warriors, samurai, used it in open combat. But nowadays we do not fight with swords any more but with guns."

"Guns?

"Yes." She struggled to find the correct explanation: 'It is a metal device with an exploding powder that can send a small piece of metal with high speed towards your opponent. The impact of it, kills instantly."

"That sounds like an evil device. Something the enemy would make."

She shrugged.

"Rin, why are you still carrying a …. Katana?"

"Because I love to practice sword fighting. I always have. It is my life. I practice daily trying to better myself. It keeps my mind clear from negative thoughts…" her mind wandered off to exactly those thoughts. But Elladan seemed to instinctively notice this and distracted her with more questions.

"We practice sword fighting as well. When we are not scouting and fighting orcs, we train. Daily. I am wondering Rin…. would you do us the honour of training with us?"

She heard Elrohir chuckle and softly mumbling: "That will be some short training!"

"Hitotsu, mazu onore o shire, shikashite ta o shire" she bit at him. Elrohir frowned at her: "That is not common tongue."

"No it is Japanese. It is the first rule of any martial art: it means: first know yourself, then know others. You are overestimating yourself and underestimating me, Elf."

Elladan chuckled in her neck. Elrohir smiled at her wit: "And you are ignorant if you cannot judge your opponent correctly. It will do you no good in combat. So I can return the same rule to you."

"I can judge you fine. Just a pretty face, that is what you are." she was grinning now.

But then her own wit backfired at her swiftly; Elrohir lifted his eyebrows curiously: "You think I am pretty?"

She blushed. What should she say now? This was embarrassing! She decided that if she could not undo her words, better be honest about it.

"Don't tell me that you don't know! You both are beautiful. Unearthly beautiful I might add. I feel like a potato head next to you guys…. " she cast her eyes downward, unable to speak more.

She heard the twins chuckle. Elladan said kindly: "We are aware how mortals see us Rin. But you are no … potato head… I would like to address your beauty also as unearthly, since we have no comparison.."

She felt her head turn beat red in an instant. She mumbled something inaudible and told Elladan that she needed to do 'her thing' in the bushes. He lowered her down with a playful smile and she quickly disappeared in the thicket. When she was a few meters away she heard the brothers laugh together. At her expense no doubt.

Grumbling she walked through the woods. She felt naked without her katana, she cursed the brothers with all her might. She actually needed to pee, so she sat down behind a tree and lowered her pants. When she was done she noticed a sudden silence in the forest. Unnatural silence. She had heard birds before, but now they were silent. And the sun was not set yet. This could only mean one thing. Something was not right! She cursed softly, adrenaline kicking in.

She ran as fast as he could through the trees towards the twins. A quick glance told her that they already knew. Their swords already drawn, Elladan motioned her to be silent and stand in between them, Elrohir turned towards the horses, unstrapping her katana.

He handed it to her with a serious face: "It is a small group, Rin. We can manage with ease. And do not hesitate to kill."

She noticed her own trembling hands when she took her katana. But the familiar feel of the hilt in her hands, washed away any fear that she had. She unsheathed it, eying the blade lovingly. Elrohir looked at it with awe, recognizing superb craftsmanship. "That is a fine blade Rin. Now you….." his sentence remained unfinished because the orcs ran into the small clearing where they stood.