Next chapter, yaayyy! I have fought of my extremely strong need for a looong stroll in the forest these past two days, just to write. I have hit just the right creative mindset right now and cant fight it. The weather has been wonderful so I took a small trip yesterday, it gave me new ideas!
So, what's in store for Adelyn? Hmm, some interesting and sexy chatting, some training and then a bath? Now what can possibly go wrong? A lot it seems, in special if a certain pair of twins get involved, a bet is created and it is going to cause a lot of commotion.
Chapter seven: Training and truths
See the power that is rising
Behold what was hidden before
Know that your strength is growing
Deny not the truth of your soul
Open your heart and you will see
Two is twice as many as one
And more than twice as strong.
Elrond took Adelyn's wrist and counted her heartbeat, he looked pleased and Adelyn just laid there, sighing. The twins were positively leering and Erestor looked rather troubled, he didn't really know where to place his eyes. Glorfindel tried to smile but he did send some rather hostile glances at the twins who were whispering to each other with wide smirks. Adelyn didn't hear what they were saying and she was in a way glad she didn't. Elrond took a look at Glorfindel's burns and smeared some ointment onto them. The warrior hissed from the pain but didn't move and Adelyn knew that he probably was just as tough as he looked. Elrond turned and stared at his sons and both went a bit pale, his expression told them that they were far from welcome there at the moment. "You two, go get some food. I bet the lady is feeling rather famished right now."
Elladan and Elrohir hurried out of the door and Elrond sat down in a chair and looked at Adelyn with narrow eyes. "I warned you young lady, you almost caused your own death down there. If Glorfindel hadn't been so brave you would have drained your own life force completely."
Adelyn moaned and hid her face behind her hands and Elrond sighed. "You are just as strong as your soul Adelyn, remember that. You cannot use energy that isn't there, at least not yet. I wish I could understand this power Eru has bestowed upon you but I can't. You are something new Adelyn, something unique."
She had to laugh, a low and almost bitter laughter. "Yeah, you are darn right about that. I don't even belong here damn it. I will forever remain a freak."
Glorfindel twitched, there was horror in his eyes. "Adelyn, don't you ever say that, you are no freak?! How can you say that?"
She almost growled. "Because it is the truth! I am as visible as a dragon in a herd of sheep, I will never fit in."
Glorfindel's handsome face turned dark, his eyes were stern and she remembered that she was a bit scared of him, she tried to pull away from him. He grasped her chin with one hand and stared into her eyes, it looked as though his blue ones were shooting blue lightning. "That is a lie Adelyn, you are fooling yourself. Nobody would ever regard you as a freak here, you are perhaps different but there is nothing wrong with that! Your world must be so terribly poor when those who are unlike the great masses can be regarded with anything but respect."
Adelyn didn't want to look at him, she lowered her eyes and stared at the blanket covering her and Glorfindel sighed and the hand caressed her chin. Then he leaned forward and before she had time to react he kissed her, the shock of the sensation made her squeak like a mouse and Elrond huffed and looked away, slightly embarrassed. Glorfindel broke the kiss and stared at her. "Would I have done that if I found you repulsive? If I thought your words to be true?"
She had to shake her head in denial and he smiled, let his hand caress her neck. It made her shiver, his hand was so warm and strong, calloused by sword and reins and she knew that he could snap her neck like a twig if he wanted to. But he would never hurt her, she just knew it. He leaned his forehead against hers and whispered to her. "I will always stand by you Adelyn, you can rely on me. If anyone ever tries to say anything negative about you I will make sure that they will have to eat their words."
She sent him a rather shivering grin, felt like hiding. The sensation on her lips lingered and she felt herself blush like crazy. Elrond hawked. "You seem to be fine, I think you can leave the bed if you feel strong enough. But I am telling you, you need to learn how to control yourself, or else you will get yourself into deep trouble rather easily."
She sighed and nodded. "I know that, now. But I did manage to use it, and it sort of obeyed me too."
Elrond sent her a sad smile. "It has got a will of its own this power of yours, it will break free and cause havoc if you fail to rein it in."
Glorfindel laid his hand on her shoulder and his eyes were so warm and filled with such tender gentleness. "I will help you find the strength to control it Adelyn, doubt me not."
She could only nod and give him a faint smile. "Thank you."
The twins had gone to the kitchens and gotten some food and they were on their way back to Adelyn's room. Elladan stopped by the stairs and grinned at his brother. "So, how much are you willing to bet on it?"
Elrohir frowned. "Bet on what?"
Elladan sniggered. "Well, I thought about betting on how long it will take before Glorfindel is allowed entrance where no man has been before if you catch my drift?"
Elrohir giggled. "Oh that's naughty Dan, but alright, I think it will happen when she has completed her task and done what she can to save Legolas"
Elladan had a wry grin on his face. "That long? I will give it a week, at the most!"
Elrohir cocked his head, his eyes were narrow. "She is not entirely besotted by him, I think she will try to hold back. But fine, what are we to compete about?"
Elladan was thinking fast. "The winner will be allowed to get away with every prank he comes up with for the rest of this year, the loser will have to take the blame for them all, and also show up at the halls of fire wearing a dress!"
Elrohir scoffed. "Yeah right, that is quite a bet but fine, I am on. I would love to see you in a dress, I am sure you will make the ellyn drool"
Elladan grinned. "As would you too."
Elrohir frowned. "I do not suppose that she will tell everybody that they've done it, how are we to know when they have gone all the way?"
Elladan smirked. "We won't have to spy on them if that is what you fear. We have both seen him naked in the baths so believe me, she will have a peculiar gait for a while afterwards and then we will know for sure. Just watch how she is walking."
Elrohir giggled. "Right, and now, let's get this food delivered before ada sends someone to look for us."
Adelyn jerked when the door opened, she felt insecure and nervous and took a deep breath of relief when she saw that it was the twins and that they brought a huge tray of food. It smelled very tempting and she was glad when Elrond removed most of the blankets and arranged the pillows so she could sit upright. Her stomach was growling like mad and Glorfindel grinned. "Sounds like you need food alright."
They arranged the tray and she filled her bowl with stew and bread and started eating as if she hadn't seen food before, Glorfindel was a bit shocked by her appetite and he just sat there and watched her stuff her face. Elrond got on his feet and shrugged. "I am not needed here anymore, so I will leave you alone. Adelyn, new riding lesson tomorrow and then more training too. You have to learn control."
She just nodded and tried to swallow without choking. Glorfindel smiled and grasped a napkin, removed some stew that was clinging to her chin. Elrond and Erestor left and Glorfindel took a deep sigh of relief. "Adelyn, I am warning you. The twins will most definitely try to prank us now, I could see it in their eyes, They are up to something, I am dead sure!"
She took a huge piece of bread and dunked it in the sauce, God, it was wonderful to have something to eat again. "I believe you, so I guess we will have to watch our backs from now on."
Glorfindel nodded and moved a bit, he sat on the edge of the bed wrapped in his blanket and his smile was so genuine, so warm. "I will help you in every way I can Adelyn."
His hand caressed her ear and she shivered, it felt weird, not as she would have expected it to feel. His fingers lingered by the studs she had in it and there was a silent question in those very beautiful blue eyes. "Why these strange pieces of jewelry?"
Adelyn shrugged and emptied her cup of ale, had to belch and blushed before she put it down. "It is common to wear things in your ears and I wanted to show everybody that I still had a personality, that I wasn't just a body in a wheelchair."
Glorfindel stared at her face, at the stud in her eyebrow, nose and the one in her lower lip. "It is rather unusual but not ugly. It looks exotic more than anything else. But I couldn't help but notice, ah, some more? "
Adelyn had to giggle a little. "Oh, yes, well, that is also rather usual, at least the one in my navel."
Glorfindel tilted his head, he looked puzzled. "I can understand that a piece of jewelry in the navel is considered normal but your nipple? And your…well"
His voice died down and he raised an eyebrow. Adelyn bit her lower lips. "I guess I got those just to show that I didn't give a damn, it is said to give some extra sensation in intimate situations, maybe it is true too but I don't know."
Glorfindel cringed. "Didn't it hurt?"
She nodded. "A little, but remember I was paralyzed so I didn't feel that much when they pierced me…down there. The one in the nipple did hurt yes but not too bad."
He shook his head,. "Still, I would never do anything like that, damn!"
Adelyn gave him a crooked grin. "No? There are a lot of guys who get piercings, also down there."
The elf looked confused. "Really? How? "
She giggled. "Well, they put a stud straight through it, or a ring, they claim that it feels extra good for their partner."
Glorfindel was pale and he swallowed hard. "Through their…? Sweet Eru, that sounds like torture!"
Adelyn had to laugh. "Yeah, but they claim that it really does the trick. Some girls get a stud through their tongue, has the same effect."
Glorfindel looked confused again. "How? Through their tongue?"
She had to shake her head in disbelief. "You are really not that used to such things here? If she has a stud in her tongue and uses her mouth on him it gives some extra stimulation, some guys have studs too, for the same reason."
Glorfindel frowned, then he understood and he went beet red and made a strange sound, turned a bit away from her. "Oh gods, I can imagine that it…feels different, yes. "
She had discovered that she kind of enjoyed watching him squirm, but it also made her feel a bit bold, like she could dare to speak more freely than to anyone else. "When I got the piercing…down there…my foster mother went almost bananas, she was afraid that I would get infections and all but it hasn't given me any problems."
Glorfindel lifted an eyebrow, he looked very curious. "Bananas?"
Adelyn grinned, showed all her teeth and he found it very rewarding to see that she didn't try to hide them from him anymore. "Yes, it means that someone is very upset, almost furious"
He got a distant expression on his face. "Hmm, bananas, I will remember that. Interesting phrase."
Adelyn nodded. "Yes, anyhow, she didn't understand why I had gotten it, since I probably wouldn't have any use for it. But I did it just to rebel I guess, to show that I dared doing it."
He looked a bit curious again but also hesitant. "Were you not afraid it would hurt you? I mean…that area is…sensitive?"
Adelyn sighed, pulled her knees up and placed her chin on top of them, she looked very young and fragile like that and yet there was a hint of an inner strength in her gaze that was fascinating. She shook her head, made a grimace. "I was almost unable to feel anything remember? It didn't hurt at all, the only problem was convincing the employee at the piercing parlor that I was allowed to do it."
Glorfindel cocked an eyebrow. "You were?"
She shook her head, giggled. "Hell no! But I was very good at forging my foster mother's handwriting. I did that when I had that nipple stud put in too. They are very careful when they do intimate piercings, so that they don't pierce anyone who is underage but I was, I am glad I did look older than I was."
Glorfindel smiled. "You have guts, and a bit of mischief stored away somewhere in that lovely head of yours too. I like that. "
Adelyn just nodded, her eyes filled with a sort of playful mirth that was very attractive. He took a deep breath. "You said you didn't feel anything, but that has changed now or what?"
She blushed, felt embarrassed all of a sudden. That question told her a bit too much of what he was thinking about. "Ah, I have become normal now I think."
Glorfindel had a sort of wolfish glimpse within his eyes. "Are you sure?"
Adelyn couldn't look at him, she knew what he was thinking about and the atmosphere there changed, it became loaded. Shit, she should have anticipated that this line of talk could lead to a situation like this. "Yes!"
He lifted a hand, let it glide through her hair and she shivered, didn't dare to move. "I suppose that you have checked it out?"
His voice was low and husky and there was a tone in it that caused her to feel warm again, almost feverish. She remembered the sensation she had gotten when he kissed her and suddenly she felt her heartbeat just in the area of which they indirectly spoke. She felt her cheeks burn, didn't really know what to say. "I…I didn't dare to…"
He got a different expression within his eyes, and for a second he looked almost shocked. "Adelyn, you have felt…pleasure? You know what I speak of?"
She scoffed. "Of course I know what you speak off, in my world people are very open when it comes to these things and you learn a lot, rather early too. But no, I wasn't that mature when the accident happened and afterwards I didn't feel anything, nor did I want to either."
He took a deep breath and his eyes got sad, he reached out and touched her cheek very gently. "Adelyn, gods, that is…actually very sad. Yet another joy of which life robbed you."
She stared at him, he was actually smart, and saw more than she would have anticipated from him, he was more than just a pretty face. To be able to read one's soul the way he was had to be rare, even here. She blushed. "You cannot miss something if you have no knowledge of it right? A fish will never miss being able to fly since it has no concept of flying."
He nodded and caressed her cheek once more. "True words, but believe me Adelyn, I would love to teach you all you would ever want to know about these matters."
She scoffed and blushed again. "Somehow I do not doubt that, but hold your horses mister, I am not ready to go there just yet!"
He nodded but there was still something within his gaze that made her feel that fluttering feeling in her stomach and she bit her lower lip. She had no doubt whatsoever that he truly knew what a female wanted, the only problem was that of trust. He took her hand, kissed it. "That is a shame Adelyn, but I am patient."
She rolled her eyes. "I hope you are right about that."
He sighed and put his feet down on the floor, shook himself. "We cannot stay here in bed for the rest of the day, although I would love to."
Adelyn sighed and knew he was right, she had to get back up on her legs and she had no idea of what to do with the rest of the day. "Right, you have a point there. What am I to do with the rest of the day? "
Glorfindel was thinking for a second. "I will go to my rooms and get redressed, if you do the same we can meet, I want to show you more of the area?"
Adelyn nodded slowly. "I still feel a bit shaky?"
He grinned and was on his feet with a blanket wrapped around his waist, it was quite a sight. "We won't go far, I know a spot that is rather special. "
She just shrugged. "Alright, I will get dressed, see you in ten minutes?"
He nodded and grasped his wet clothes and was out of the door before she had time to blink twice. She slowly freed herself from the blankets and sat naked on the edge of the bed, she felt herself blush again. When had she been this open and honest with someone? She closed her eyes and thought about the kiss once more, it made her shudder and she giggled and had to bite her thumb to stop herself from acting like some schoolgirl. She knew that she would have reacted very differently if she had been more experienced, more mature. She felt as though she was standing on a narrow ledge not knowing whether or not she should allow herself to fall. It was such a stressful emotion to not know what to do. She got up and walked on shaky legs towards her dresser, found some clothes and put them on. She wondered what the next days would bring her, and she remembered his words and her promises. So, if he was to court her then she anticipated to be thoroughly and truly impressed. She grinned to her own reflection in the mirror, why not try to enjoy it? After all, it was her chance to learn and to adapt. It couldn't really be that bad now could it? She would be the one in charge the whole time, no, she shouldn't worry.
Misty mountains:
Aragorn was frustrated, the orc hadn't spoken a single word and they had tried torturing it again but to no prevail. The darn thing was so stubborn, or more accurately, scared of its masters wrath. It didn't care if it died as long as it didn't have to face its lords anger and the ranger was starting to feel a bit worried. The mountains could hide a lot and he had a feeling of having missed something important. He had sent out some of the elves to see if they could capture another orc but they had found none. The entire area was silent and empty, too empty in fact. He knew that it still would be a couple of days before they could anticipate any reinforcements and it would be tough but there was nothing they could do other than wait. He grinded his teeth together and leaned back towards the rock he sat by. He knew that his friend could be dead by now, or suffering all thinkable sorts of torture and he felt so darn helpless, so useless. He lifted his face, stared at the skies above. They were so pure, so untouched by evil, he had to put faith in the belief that the Valar would protect them, there was nothing else to do!
Legolas was unaware of his surroundings by now, his mind entrapped in a never ending loop of memories, all too terrible to imagine. There was no escape and the unconscious elf was whimpering and shaking as he saw it all over and over again, how they humiliated and tainted him, turned him into a mewling animal, begging for mercy. He hadn't sensed his father's mind touching his own for a while and he was glad, he didn't want anyone to know, to see what they had done to him, what he had become. He understood now, how the first dark lord had managed to create orc's out of the elves he had captured and enslaved. He felt as though there was no light left anywhere, only darkness endured and he wished to hear the voice of the doomsman calling out his name, bidding him take his place in the halls. Maybe there he would be allowed to forget, to be cleansed of it all.
He remembered it all too well, how they had moved from just raping him to something even more disgusting. He remembered how skilled hands had touched him, caressed him, forced his own flesh to betray him. He had tried to fight it, tried to remain cold but he could not, he was too weak, his spirit to broken, to desperate for hope, any sort of it. He had felt lips on him, teasing and taunting, and they had created pleasure in the midst of all the agony. He had been helpless to fight it, and soon he had been screaming again but this time in release. He had never felt such shame, he could have handled being a victim, being forced and held down, taken against his own will and wishes. It wasn't his fault then, he wasn't to blame for it. But this, this truly broke him. He was desperate for more, for that brief moment of bliss, of something else than agony and fear. He could not stop it, they touched him again and he wanted them to do it, he let them do it, didn't try to fight them at all. He had never felt that dirty, that worthless, he was begging them for it, wanting them to take him, make him come just once more. He heard them laugh, call him a wanton whore and they were right, he knew they were. He was just a piece of meat, a sick perverted wreck, doing anything just to forget.
He had lost track of time, lost count of the times he had been raped and the times he had let them take him, when he had begged them for release. Of course he would perish there, how could he ever face his kin again, knowing what he had done? He had to die, he could never reveal the truth to anyone, tell them of how he had been laid there, screaming in ecstasy with an orc fucking him, filling him with its filthy seed. But that too had ended, with no resistance left in him they lost interest and the cell he was in now was the last stop. The nightmarish memories never seized to torture him and his body was slowly giving up, the beatings and injuries had taken its toll on him and he hadn't been given anything to eat for many days. An elf can survive a lot, but not when the spirit is broken, grief was killing him just as surely as a poisoned arrow would.
The mage would sometimes stop by the cell, his dark eyes revealed a bit of frustration. He was ready to trap also the elvenking's soul there but he hadn't tried to contact his son again and that was a bit of a disappointment to say the least. He had to come up with something so that he could keep his promise to his master. There had to be a way to make his plan work and that before that darn elf died. As a corpse he was of no use but the mage knew too darn well that the elf wouldn't survive, they had done a too good job breaking him. Yes it had been entertaining, at least at the end of the treatment, watching that darn stubborn proud creature reduced to such a state of humiliation and shame had been exhilarating and he grinned to himself once more. He had to get some more elves, he would love to break them himself, turn them into his own slaves.
He had one worry though, he had sent his personal assistant out to fetch some mushrooms for his dinner and the goddamn thing hadn't returned, There was no trace of him and he suspected that the orc had gotten a bit too bold and fled. It meant that he had to tighten the reins once more, show them his power, make them fear him even more. He had to make an example of someone and he was looking forward to it. Where his magical powers were lacking he had other tricks up his sleeve and he was an expert at deceit and subterfuge. Yes, he had plans for the evening, and if that elf lasted for a couple of days more he was sure that his plan would turn out to be a complete success. After all, he knew that those pointy eared morons never abandoned their loved ones, it was their weakness and one he just loved to exploit.
Imladris:
Adelyn had been surprised when Glorfindel showed her a path that brought them to a small cave high above the main valley, a waterfall formed almost a curtain in front of it and a huge crystal was embedded in its floor, it was a truly magical place and they had a wonderful view of the valley. Glorfindel had brought a couple of pillows and a blanket and they sat there watching the sunset. He told her of the ancient days, of the time when there was no sun or moon, of the constellations they could see awakening on the darkening skies and she told him of the places she had been to back home. She told of the sea, of the dolphins she had been swimming with when she was ten and the time when she had gone skiing in the mountains and had been standing face to face with a cougar all of a sudden. That was when Kim had told her of spirit animals and she had known that the cougar was her spirit.
They just sat there talking for hours and Adelyn found it to be strangely comforting, he did listen like few others ever had and she could tell him of everything that had bothered her. He told of how strange it was for him to return and discover that things had changed a lot since he went to the halls. He also told of the things he had been through and she started to understand why he was so afraid to be left alone. It was no wonder really, if the creatures the enemy had as servants were this terrible then she truly feared meting any of them. They returned to the valley rather late and Adelyn discovered that she was tired, in spite of the sleep she had had earlier that day. She was followed to her door and Glorfindel was the perfect gentle elf, kissed her hand and bid her a good night and she felt that she knew him a little better after this. She went to bed and felt a strange restless feeling, as if someone was calling her name out of reach of her hearing.
She fell asleep but after just a little she was dreaming again, she was once more in a cave, a long corridor with cells and she stared into one of them. The elf prince lay in it, he was unconscious and looked terrible. Adelyn felt a strong presence of evil, and for a moment she could see a sort of glowing energy surrounding the elf, almost as if a web of thin blue lines had been spun around him. He moaned, writhed slowly and she hissed, felt a cold anger at the sight. Dark magic, that was what she was seeing and she reached out, touched the weird grid and saw it crumble into nothing. Her cold disintegrated it, turned it into nothing. There was a sort of silent gasp from the elf and he relaxed, she touched him gently and saw what he had been seeing. She gasped in horror and felt it all, his shame and sorrow, the terrible burden of it all. They had tried to break him completely, to erase the very light within his soul, turn him away from it with their foul deeds.
Adelyn had no idea of where it came from, where she got the idea from, but she pushed forth like a spearhead of light, forced his mind to open and allow her power to enter it. There she saw the horrible memories and she grasped onto them, burned away the dark emotions, forced him to see the truth. He was a victim, this was being done to him, not by him. She felt her own heart hammer as she pulled free and returned to her own mind, she had done what she could do for him now, she had to find him physically too if she was to save more of his light. He was no longer trapped within the memories but far from out of danger yet. She sighed as she drifted off into sleep again and she dreamt no more for the rest of the night.
Adelyn woke up with a feeling of having overslept, she sat up in the bed and shook her head, there was a strange smell there she couldn't quite identify? It was nice though and she got out of the bed and then she saw the source, someone had placed a giant vase filled with flowers in the open window by the door. She had to grin, she had revealed to Glorfindel that she loved flowers, roses in special and these were exquisite and of sorts she never had seen before. She had to smile and placed the flowers in the middle of the room where the sweet scent really could spread. She got dressed and went to the dining hall, some servants greeted her and brought some food and she was still hungry so she ate a huge portion.
She thought about the dream as she ate, it had to be a sign and she decided that she should tell Elrond of it when she met him next. But first she had a riding lesson and she wasn't looking forward to it at all. She finished the meal and went to the riding arena and there she got a small shock. It wasn't Elladan that was going to be her teacher this day, it was a stranger she hadn't met before and Glordfindel was there too, he rode a huge white stallion which looked feisty and fast and Adelyn was a bit in awe of the sight. He rode as if he and that huge horse was one being and she rolled her eyes and stared at the small dun mare. Cara looked like she was bored half to death and the ellon who was to be her teacher presented himself as Curulian and told her that he usually taught the children how to ride. She just hoped that he was more patient than Elladan, cause damn, he had been hard to listen to.
She got onto the mare again and right away she realized that she would have no more luck than yesterday, she was way too nervous and her ass soon felt rather tender again. Glorfindel had been sitting on his horse and he was shaking his head. "No Adelyn, you are really not doing this right. Don't try to resist the movements, follow them, let them flow through you."
He made his own horse run around in circles and she followed him with her gaze, she felt a bit envious, to him it was just as natural as breathing is but she also felt a bit disturbed. She watched how his hips followed the movements of the horse and her cheeks were burning again, she felt that heat gather within once more and had to look away. Damn it, what was it he was doing with her? She tried to follow the instructions as best she could and after a while she got a bit more of a hang of it. Curulian wasn't too pleased with her efforts but he wasn't completely disappointed either and he believed that she would be able to ride rather well, after a number of lessons. He was too polite to tell her exactly how many lessons he thought to be necessary. Glorfindel grinned and knew that the riding teacher probably imagined having to give Adelyn lessons every day for the next decade or something.
She went on for another hour but by then the horse started getting tired and bored and tried to do everything but the practices they were to go through. The teacher dismissed her and Adelyn went to lunch with Glorfindel after having brought the horses back to the stable. While they ate he tried to explain to her the art of elvish cooking, she had noticed that they used a lot of vegetables and such but she had no idea of how dedicated they were to such healthy diets. They would have really grand feasts every now and then and she discovered that he had a love of cookies that sometimes brought him into trouble. The cook didn't appreciate that the trays of finished cookies suddenly were missing or contained less than half as many cookies then before. Adelyn teased him a little and called him "the cookie monster" and Glorfindel was blushing and took his revenge by splashing some water on her.
She was to practice her magic with Elrond again and she was a bit scared, she feared that she would create an utter mess once more but Glorfindel reassured her that it would be ok this time. Elrond would be there to help her and she sighed and Glorfindel could read her expression like an open book now. "Fine, I will accompany you too, just to make sure that you don't forget your lessons."
She grinned and it made his heart sing, to watch her smile and to be the cause of it was wonderful indeed. Elrond was waiting and they went back to the canyon, it was still obvious that something had happened there, the rocks and the ground black and covered with a thin layer of ashes and it smelled as if a rockslide had gone through the place. Elrond had ordered some servants to place several objects down there. Five pedestals had been raised in the middle of the canyon in front of the riverbed and Adelyn was puzzled. On one of them a torch was burning, on another a lamp, a bucket of water was placed on top of the third one and a rock on the fourth and on the fifth was a huge piece of raw meat. She stared at Elrond with a weird expression on her face. "Meat?"
He nodded. "Yes, I would very much like to see what you can do and what sort of damage you can inflict upon an enemy. Nobody wanted to volunteer to become a target so I got that deer leg from the cook."
Adelyn just sighed and shook herself, tried to focus on the task ahead of her. Elrond nodded. "When you are ready Lady Adelyn, try to freeze that bucket first,"
She took a deep breath, felt how a strange calm descended upon her and she wasn't aware of it but she looked rather majestic at the moment with eyes cold and focused and a regal posture. She created respect and demanded it too with her mere presence and Elrond knew that it was a good thing. There was a loud bang, Glorfindel jumped for cover just as a reflex and the bucket flew over their heads and it looked as if a grenade had exploded in the middle of it. It was just shreds. Ice rained around them as snow and Adelyn shrieked and ducked too, with her hands above her head. Elrond didn't even flinch and she realized that he in fact was very brave.
"Well done, but perhaps a little exaggerated?
Adelyn took a deep breath and Glorfindel nodded to her, reassuring and with lots of faith, she smiled back and started again. After about an hour she had managed to get to a level of control that was stunning but she hadn't tried to do anything to the leg of deer yet, somehow she felt a bit uncomfortable with the idea. Elrond insisted and she had to try. She imagined freezing the meat and there was a cracking sound and it was suddenly frozen solid and as hard as rock. Elrond touched it hesitantly and he puckered his brow in a frown. "If this was an orc he would be as dead as dead can be. Now, try to heat it back up again!"
Adelyn just shrugged and closed her eyes, imagined heat and the effect was impressive tough unexpected. It exploded sending pieces of frozen meat sky high and even Elrond lost his usual calm expression, Adelyn squeaked. "Well, I don't think an orc can survive that either."
Glorfindel put up a wry grin. "Most definitely not!"
Elrond brushed some pieces of meat off his robes with a dignified expression, he looked a bit startled though. "Adelyn, I think you have the potential of becoming a weapon, and I am not so sure if I like that. If the enemy learns of your powers you will most certainly become a target."
She shuddered and looked nervous. Glorfindel saw it and hugged her tightly, whispered to her. "Fear not Adelyn, I will never let anything harm you!"
She just nodded to him and Elrond sighed. "You can most certainly cause some damage and I think you just proved yourself a worthy opponent of just about anything but you must always remember to stay in control of yourself. Don't let anger or fear take control, I think you then may cause more harm than good."
She sighed and looked down and had to admit that he probably was right. If she didn't learn to control it completely she would be just as dangerous to her friends as to her foes. She was starting to feel cold again and Glorfindel wrapped his cloak around her, it was warm and smelled of him and it made her feel so much better right away. Elrond was about to say something when they heard a voice calling out from the path leading down to the canyon. "My lord? A messenger has arrived from Estel, they have captured an orc"
Elrond just nodded to Adelyn and ran and Glorfindel suddenly reminded her of a bloodhound that has gotten the scent of its target. She ran alongside the two ellyn and they stopped on top of the stairs leading down to the small courtyard behind the bridge. A warrior stood there holding a panting horse by the reins and he looked very tired but also eager. Elrond rushed down the stairs and the warrior bowed. "My lord, Estel bid me give you this message. They have captured an orc but it refused to speak, they will wait for reinforcements before they move further into the mountains. He is sure that the orc can be persuaded to speak, with the right means."
Elrond sighed, he clenched his teeth together. Torture, he didn't like the idea at all but in this case it was probably necessary. "When did you leave his camp?"
The ellon took a deep breath. "Less than two days ago."
Elrond looked a bit shocked. "You have indeed ridden like the wind, go now and rest and get some food. And make sure that the horse is taken well care of, it has done a marvelous job."
The warrior bowed and Elrond turned around. Glorfindel and Adelyn stood there staring and the peredhel sighed. "I have to go tell my sons of this, they will want to join the group I am to send out there. If they have an orc the chances of us finding Legolas is much better. We cannot waste this chance."
Glorfindel looked down. "Estel has three warriors plus the ellyn of the patrol he has joined, he doesn't need that many more. Too many are just as bad as too few in this case."
Elrond frowned. "And you are suggesting?"
Glorfindel stared at him, his eyes calm. "Elladan and Elrohir, myself and Adelyn and two of my best officers. Malagar and Cirel, they are expert assassins and hesitate at nothing."
Elrond sighed and he turned to Adelyn. "You should have trained for a week at least but we cannot wait. Are you ready for this? It will be tough just travelling and I have no idea of what you might encounter once you enter the mountains."
She managed to smile but she felt a hard knot in her stomach. "I am ready, we have to go before it is too late."
Elrond looked sad. "Tomorrow then, at first day light. I will make sure that everything is prepared, I suggest that you use the rest of the day to rest and prepare."
Adelyn just nodded, she felt that she should have told them of the dream but felt that there were no point in it now and Elrond turned and left, Glorfindel sighed and sat down on the rock stair, he had a distant look within his gaze. "Oh the twins will love this, but I am rather sure that the orc won't. If Estel has had problems making it speak then they will most certainly succeed, unless it dies first."
Adelyn sat down next to him, hesitantly. "So they will torture the orc to make it speak?"
Her voice revealed the shock she felt from that information and Glorfindel cut a grimace. "Yes, and believe me, they are good at it too."
She looked a bit disturbed by what he said and he took her hand. "Adelyn, listen to me, believe me when I say that we never do something like that to anyone, not even an orc, if we can avoid it. It is not our way but in cases like this there is no way around it. If the orc doesn't want to talk of its own free will we will have to make it speak no matter what."
Adelyn sighed. "I know, and I understand it too believe me, but I don't like it."
Glorfindel kissed her hand. "You don't have to, I just hope that the orc knows anything useful."
Adelyn leaned her head towards his shoulder and he closed his eyes for a moment and just enjoyed the contact. "So, what should we do today?"
She bit her lower lip. "Well, I have an idea, I need to practice more than just that darn magic. I think I might need my other skills as well, I would like to practice some of my martial skills."
Glorfindel looked rather eager all of a sudden. "Yes, good idea. I would love to see your techniques."
Adelyn had seen a small arena filled with soft sand and she had understood that it was used for practicing unarmed fighting. "Then let's go, the day is still young. "
They stopped by the arena and Adelyn started warming up. It felt weird cause it was years since she last had done those moves but her body seemed to remember nonetheless and before long she was going through the familiar kicks and jumps. She felt strong and agile and she noticed that she was a lot faster than before. Her reactions were faster too and she enjoyed it. It felt good to know that she hadn't forgotten her old skills and Glorfindel stood there watching and his eyes told her that he was impressed as well as a bit confused. She finished with a series of backward flips and a roundhouse kick and he cocked his head and looked eager. "Damn, that looked impressive. Is it efficient?"
She nodded, threw her hair back and felt how her heart was beating and how her entire body felt more alive now that she had really used it for a while. "It is, in special against those who are unfamiliar with the technique. You don't have to be huge and strong to be lethal, all you need is speed and the ability to turn the strength of the enemy against him. "
She did a slow kick, just to show him her control and he grinned and pulled his tunic off, tossed it onto the fence. "Show me!"
Adelyn had taught others before, and she had liked it but it was very different with him. First of all, the sight of him with no shirt on was disturbing to say the least, the amazing physique only reminded her of the fact that he was no human. Second of all, he was learning so fast it was terrifying, she didn't have to show him anything more than once and he would understand and copy her to perfection. He had the benefit of being tall and strong but she was in fact a bit faster and more agile and she did really push him rather hard. He had such amazing control that she never felt as if she was in danger even from the more dangerous moves she taught him and they sparred so that he could use them for real. Glorfindel was really interested in these new ways of fighting, he had never seen anyone use their body as a weapon in this way and as a warrior he found the concept intriguing, It is always wise to have something to fall back upon if you should get into trouble while being unarmed.
It was rather hard work and she was sweating like a horse, but she didn't mind. It was great fun and she really enjoyed this. Glorfindel was a perfect student and she knew that he would become even better than she was with the right amount of encouragement and training. She was actually looking forward to that. They continued training until the bell that called everybody to dinner was being heard, Adelyn discovered that her tunic was dark with sweat and her hair felt like a wet rope down her back. Glorfindel took a look at her and then he laughed. "You look like a drowned cat, but damn, you really know how to move."
She blushed. "So do you."
He was sweaty too and his hair wet like hers, his skin was shiny and he was breathing fast from the exertion and she felt how something inside of her almost did a sort of somersault from the sight. He was so amazing, she had to take care so she didn't reveal her emotions at the moment cause she was close to drooling. Glorfindel grasped his tunic and made a grimace. "Adelyn, I don't think we will be welcome in the dining hall looking like this, we smell like a pig-sty I am sure. May I make a suggestion?"
Adelyn tried to shake some of the sweat out of her hair. "Yes?"
He grinned and pointed towards a path that appeared to be rather well used. "I can go get a picknick bag and then we can go up to the hot springs and bathe? "
Adelyn swallowed. The idea of a bath was like a vision of heaven but bathing with him? Somehow the idea wasn't as frightening as she would have thought earlier, it was something almost a bit naughty about it and she liked it. "They are not too hot?"
He shook his head. "No, not at all. They are popular and it is very nice up there. I'll go get some food and some towels and you can go get some clean clothes if you like to?"
She nodded and ran off and she hurried and found a dress and some underwear. She was soaked through and through and had to change everything. He was waiting for her by the path when she returned and he had a basket in one hand and a heap of towels thrown over his shoulder. She felt a little bit worried though, she did trust him but how much self-control did he really have? And was she ready to see him naked? She wasn't so sure about that last question, hopefully there was some way they could bathe without getting too close physically.
They walked up the path discussing the techniques she had shown him and didn't notice that they had been seen, and that someone was looking very pleased. Before long someone followed them up the path but kept his distance and in his hands he held a small burlap sack containing something that was writhing and moving around. He was grinning like mad, so they were to bathe in the springs? That opened for possibilities and he had done this before, to his own benefit. It was a good prank and one that possibly could help him win the bet. He was not going to take the chance of his brother winning, no way. Adelyn was almost prudish when it came to Glorfindel but if she got a little help? A small nudge in the right direction? Elladan sniggered to himself as he found his way around the boulders and bushes, he knew this place like the back of his hand since he had been there on countless occasions with some eager ellith and he had also used this trick to scare the living b-jeezez out of his brother on one occasion. Too bad Elrohir was so scared of reptiles but Elladan had the benefit of not sharing that fear and so he could reap the possibilities that it gave him.
Adelyn was stunned by the site he showed her, it was an area underneath an overhanging piece of the rock face and it was flat and covered with pot holes, some huge and other small and they were interconnected by a system of streams and artificial canals. Benches were placed here and there and some torches were lit and gave light since it was getting dark by now. It looked amazing, like some gorgeous natural spa and he showed her the way to one of the main pools. It was a huge pothole shaped a bit like a figure eight and she understood that one part was for the females and the other part for the males. There was a piece of rock separating the two sections and you could perhaps see the heads of those in the other section but nothing more than that. Some curtains had been hung from the roof to separate the dressing areas and she saw that bottles of soap and shampoo had been placed by the pool too. This was going to be very nice indeed. The water was steaming but not too hot and she saw that stairs and seats had been carved into the rock. She stepped into the pool very carefully, allowed herself to get used to the temperature gradually. The water had a smell of minerals and she guessed that it was very healthy to bathe there, she found a seat and sat down, the water reached her neck and she allowed herself to relax and just allow the heat to seep through her and remove all traces of sweat and stiff muscles.
She could hear Glorfindel on the other side of the rock wall, he was humming and splashing around and before long he was actually singing and she knew it was because of her. He mentioned her name rather often and the tune was sweet and had a slow rhythm to it. It was a lovesong of some kind, she was dead sure, and it made her blush. He had a lovely voice too, rather deep and a bit hoarse but it was soft and she just closed her eyes and allowed him to continue singing. She felt a bit silly though, like she was in some Romeo and Juliet situation, he should have been singing her ballads from underneath some balcony and not while taking a bath but what the hey. The soft light and the atmosphere and everything actually made it very romantic and she let herself float and felt that life in this moment was perfect.
Elladan had been sneaking up towards the open cave from beneath it, he was hidden by the bushes growing alongside the edge of the area with pools and now he opened the bag with a wry grin. The pool Adelyn was in was just underneath him and he pulled the creature forth and dropped it onto the rock below. "Now my little buddy, slither away and create some action!"
He sniggered as he disappeared into the bushes once more, this was going to be entertaining, to say the least.
Cliff hanger folks, muahahaha
