AN - So I am having issues with getting my brain to function properly. I wrote, deleted, wrote, deleted, screamed, deleted, then said the hell with it. If I don't push this story along they're never going to leave that stupid tent. I want to thank everyone for their feedback, it is very much appreciated.
mh21- I want to throw an extra thank you, your way. You caught me. What I had wanted to write for the first part of the last chapter, and what I ended up writing is a fine example of taking the easy way out, and suffering from it. I was not offended, and appreciate every single thing you said.
Again, I have no Beta, all mistakes are my own. And honestly, if I reread this chapter one more time I may end up deleting more, leaving me with only a few paragraphs.
Chapter Seven
He found her sitting on the floor of the tent, her legs stretched out in front of her, surrounded by items from her magical bag. Staring down at one of the strange moving picture, Hermione swiped at a lone tear trickling down her flushed cheek.
Clearing his throat, Legolas winced as her head snapped up, and a startled cry escaped her lips. Her eyes flared the moment she spot him. Scrambling off the ground, Hermione sent him a hesitant look, before licking at her lower lip nervously. "You're back."
"It was not my intention to startle you." Sincerity filled his eyes, as Legolas took a hesitant step further into the room, careful to keep a safe space between them. "But I thought it best we discuss our interaction before it festers between us. "
"I –well." Her nose crinkled slightly as she gave him an odd look. "That's probably best."
"But your actions say otherwise." Legolas frowned.
"No." Hermione was quick to answer, not wanting to insult the Elf for a second time that day. "That's not it at all. It's just, from my experience, I am the one who feels the need to speak, while my companions would rather gnaw a limb off to escape it. Truthfully, it's refreshing."
She could practically feel the weight of his gaze studying her, trying to determine if she were speaking honestly. The action made her slightly twitchy, as though he were seeing all her faults, and blemishes.
"I find I owe you an apology." Feeling the tips of his ears burn, as his parting words his tasteless delivery flashed through his mind, Legolas shifted from foot to foot ashamed at his conduct. "My behavior toward your claim was uncalled for."
Unable to hold his gaze, Hermione let her eyes drop to stare at her clenched hands. "I can't say I would have behaved any differently had our positions been reversed. I have done some thinking since you . . . ah . . . left, and I was out of line when I accused you of . . . well you know. It's just that when I awoke, and realized what had happened . . ." Fidgeting under his intense stare, Hermione sucked in a deep breath and pushed onward. "I don't deal well when I am not in complete and utter control and even though I was in desperate need of sleep, it was the method and the effects which upset me."
Legolas listened, hearing only honesty in the words. Her outwardly appearance showed just how much it cost her to admit these things to him. He admired the strength it took for her to be honest with him.
"In honesty, I was concerned with your well-being. It didn't occur to me that by slipping the herbs to you, I was taking away your freewill." Pausing, Legolas frowned and shifted. "For that I am sorry. But, I cannot say if the circumstances were to again present themselves, I wouldn't do the same."
Hermione's head snapped up, her eyes wide and blinking as her mouth dropped a little in shock. "Did you just say you would do it again?"
He knew his words were not what she had expected to hear. Could see the anger starting to burn again in her eyes, but he could not tell her a lie, just to appease her ire at him. "You were injured and refused to sleep." The explanation seemed to only ignite the. "It would have been irresponsible of me to allow you to inflict more harm onto your person."
"I wasn't sleeping because two strangers, who happened to be an Elf and Dwarf, had infiltrated my camp, which shouldn't have happened, and took over my life." Her nostrils flared as she took a step forward, her head tilted back as her eyes burned into his.
"So you behaved that way because it was an Elf and a Dwarf who came to your assistance." Now insulted, Legolas's head jerked back as though she had slapped him.
"What?" Clearly affronted, Hermione shook her head at the very idea that she would be prejudice. "Don't be foolish. Where I come from, Elves and Dwarfs only exist in children's books. So excuse me for being cautious."
The intense expression on Legolas's face eased, as her words washed over him. "No Elves or Dwarfs?"
"Not a one." The witch confirmed, then backpedaled. "Well, I suppose there's house elves, but they look nothing like you." Realizing she was staring, Hermione quickly lowered her eyes.
Her words gave Legolas pause, as he digested their meaning. "So your world has only humans?"
"No." She said slowly. "We have other magical creatures. But, that's another topic for another time. What I was trying to explain was why I was being cautious, how could I know whether you were friend or foe."
"Perhaps because you are still alive."
"That doesn't mean anything." Hermione said defiantly. "I'm not stupid. I know I am an oddity here. How am I supposed to know you aren't keeping me safe only as a means to an end?" Seeing Legolas's mouth thin, she refused to feel bad for being honest this time. "In my world, people like me have had a precarious past. It doesn't help that I have been involved in an ongoing war since I was eleven years old. In that time I have learned trust is earned, and even then to remain vigilant."
"What can I do to prove to you we mean no harm?"
"Giving my wand back would be a good start." Hermione answered simply.
A smile played at the corner of Legolas's mouth as he shook his head. "I believe I shall take a page from your book, you will have to earn my trust before your stick's return. Any other way?"
Letting out a huff of annoyance, Hermione chewed on her lower lip as she thought. She hadn't really expected him to hand over her wand, but she had to try. "I'd like to leave camp, and use the steam nearby to bathe."
Giving her request some thought, Legolas almost wished she would have pressed the issue of her wands return. Her request seemed frivolous, but if it gained a small amount of trust by granting her this small thing he didn't want to deny her. "I suppose Gimli and I can find a safe spot for you to use."
"Alone." She insisted immediately.
"No."
"I am not going to bathe with two men nearby." Looking stricken at the thought, Hermione folded her arms over her chest, hating how her face started to burn from the blush spreading up her neck to her cheeks.
"We are in the middle of the wilderness."
"Exactly." Hermione exclaimed. "I think I am old enough to bathe unaccompanied. Or are you afraid I will run off?"
"Where would you run? You are clearly unfamiliar with the terrain, and all of your possessions are here." Legolas reasoned.
"Exactly." Not entirely sure she won that particular debate, Hermione's nose wrinkled as she gaged Legolas's open expression. "So we are in agreement that I can go alone."
A smile tugged again at the Elf's mouth. "No." He drawled slowly. "I just agreed that you wouldn't run off. If you wish to use the stream we will guard you."
Frustrated that their exchange had gone so far, Hermione stomped her tiny foot. "Why?"
"These lands are plagued by bands of roaming Orcs." Any mirth from her apparent agitation melted away, as the countless dangers she could encounter flashed before his eyes.
"Have you ever heard of an Orc?" Hermione silently shook her head. "They are foul beasts, whose only instinct is to torture and kill. They smell of rotting flesh, travel in packs, almost my height, and Gimli's thickness."
Watching as her forehead wrinkled in concentration, Legolas folded his arms over his chest. "Then there are Wargs."
"Wargs?"
"Large, wolf like beasts. Extremely deadly, and not particular on who or what they feast upon."
Put out by the image he was creating, Hermione looked down at her filthy clothing. It'd been ages since she last bathed properly. Scourgifing only went so far, and seeing that she didn't even have that option available to her she was starting to see where she may have to cave or else be embarrassed by the smell she knew was wafting off her.
"Anything else?" Hermione grumbled like a put out child. "Should I be worried about an Ashwinder or perhaps a large man eating spider?"
"I have never heard of this Ashwinder." Legolas replied. "But yes, we do have infestations of large spiders."
"Of course you do." Hermione muttered, completely defeated. "Fine, but you two are to stay on the bank, with your backs to me at all times."
"I suppose then, if you're attacked I should fight with my eyes closed?" Finding her prim, matter of fact stipulations slightly entertaining, Legolas couldn't help but tease her. It went without saying that he and Gimli would protect her modesty, but he supposed it was something she was going to have to learn.
Ruffled over how he was finding amusement over her discomfort, Hermione narrowed her eyes. "I wouldn't need any protection if you'd just hand over my wand."
"True." The dimples on his face deepened, as the flush upon her cheeks darkened. "You also wouldn't need protection if you were to wait until we reached the White City to bathe properly."
Throwing her hands into the air, Hermione knew when to give up. Not only was he not going to bend in his insistence of guarding her, but he made it clear he had no intentions of returning her property. What she would give to see his smile wiped off his face, if she were to just Accio her wand. But she'd tried that several times. Silently and verbally, both with no success.
"Fine."
"So we are in agreement? Gimli and I will accompany you."
"Sounds bloody fantastic." Hermione grumbled under her breath, as she spun on her heel and headed to the tent flap, needing some space away from the smug Elf.
Dear Merlin how he hated the stars, every single one of those twinkling bastards. He knew without a doubt that they mocked him from above, serving as a constant reminder of what he tool he truly was.
So it hadn't been much of a shock, that when he came to, it was under a blanket of those cheerful prigs, sparkling in the night sky, laughing at his sheer stupidity. What had he been thinking? Did he honestly believe his one act of heroism would be rewarded?
Perhaps not.
No, definitely not.
He knew his one good deed hadn't been heroic. It had been self-serving, an action which would result in just one thing. Death. Sweet merciful death. It was the only possible release he could wish for. But once again, fate had given him the finger before spitting him out into unfamiliar land.
From the moment he'd opened his eyes, his life had gone from bad to worse in a matter of hours.
"So whatcha in for?" Startled by the raspy voice beside him, Draco turned his head to the man at his side, and gave him a long suspicious look, before turning his attention back to the night sky. It was better to be mocked by stars, than to stare at the posts which made up the crude prison he was being held in.
"I took an apple from a tree." He really hadn't meant to speak, but the silence made him uncomfortable.
The man snorted. "Ah, the one to the north of town?"
North, south, east or west, Draco couldn't say. All he knew was that his stomach had been hurting from hunger pains when he'd stumbled upon it. "Dunno."
"Borgen has caught many a slave that way." Shifting in the dirt, the man looked around the cage. "He claims its theft, the people see it as the only way to keep from starvation."
Shifting his gaze to the man, Draco felt the knot inside his chest tighten. "Slave?"
"Aye." The man muttered, before spitting upon the earth. "Not from around here I take it?"
"You could say that." Draco muttered before rubbing at his eyes.
"Any infraction against Borgen, or his foul beast like men is a sure sentence of either death or slavery. You ask me, they're one in the same."
Blinking, Draco felt a bubble of a laugh crawl up his throat, as though the entire bloody situation suddenly made sense. "It wasn't even that good of an apple."
The man laughed.
"So why are you here?" By the looks of it, Draco figured it could be an assortment of things. The man was beyond filthy, and if he were totally honest, smelled like he hadn't bathed in months.
For a moment the man fell silent. "I killed several of Borgen's men." The man's tone wasn't boastful, like his aunt's would be after a raid, instead he sounded resentful. "None of this would be happening if it wasn't for those revolting wizards."
This caught Draco's attention. The pure hatred in the man's tone made his blood run cold. "W-What?"
"Don't be foolish boy." The man growled, swinging his eyes to stare directly in Draco's. "If it hadn't been for their thoughtless magic, the war would never had happened. Our lands wouldn't have been raped and pillaged, our children wouldn't be without. We most definitely wouldn't be at the mercy to the likes of Borgen and men like him."
The sliver of self-preservation he had still had festering inside of him, demanded he shut his worthless mouth and really pay attention. Something was off, and not just in a slight magical snafu sort of way.
"Explain to me again how I got pulled into this." Kicking at a stone with the tip of his boot, Gimli scowled up at his friend, displeasure clearly written all over his face. "From what I recall it was you who needed to make amends."
Scanning the area for any sign of danger, Legolas met the Dwarf's murderous gaze. He purposely kept the agreement quiet, until after they broke their fast, knowing his friend would be less than pleased. Honestly, Legolas didn't think the young girl would go through with it. Apparently he had miscalculated her stubborn streak.
"It would have been inappropriate." Legolas stated the obvious. "And from what I recall, you were the one who stressed the need to come to some sort of an understanding with the girl, to make our journey to the White City less tense."
"Inappropriate?" Gimli gawked. "This entire situation is inappropriate. Do you know what would happen to the lass's reputation if this got out? Not that I have much use for stuffy, uptight etiquette of the nobles, but this would destroy her. Bathing in a stream, with two men nearby, its ruddy ridicules."
With a frown, Legolas sighed. "Then we must make certain no one finds out."
"We are warriors." Gimli frowned. "Heroes. Now look what we've become. Babysitters."
"But just think my friend, if you were to save Hermione's life, you'd be a hero in her eyes."
"Save her from what?" Raising a bushy brow at the Elf, the smaller man growled. "Stream trout? What exactly is going to attack? Wait I know, another diabolical rabbit."
"A band of Orcs." Legolas smirked.
Gimli rolled his eyes. "Not this close to the White City."
"It's not unheard of." The smirk grew on the Elf's lips. "Then perhaps Wargs or Giant Spiders."
"What nonsense did you fill her head with?" Spitting on the ground, Gimli shook his head. "Next you'll be saying to be on the lookout for Cave Trolls." Letting his eyes scan the flat field before him, Gimli grunted.
"We couldn't very well let her go on her own." Legolas reasoned. "We both know a band of Orcs isn't unheard of. Or perhaps you would have preferred I returned the magic stick to her?"
"Bite your tongue." A look of fright passed over the Dwarf's face. "Not until the lass trusts us more."
More than forty feet away, Hermione took another look over her shoulder to where the Elf and Dwarf positioned themselves, stared at their backs, before turning around to eye the stream before her, then down at herself, before letting out a long sigh. Mental, that's what she was, only a nutter would take something this stupid, this far.
What had seemed to be vitally important the day before, now seemed rash and unnecessary. Sure, she was filthy, but nothing a sponge bath couldn't quickly rectify. The appeal of bathing in the stream quickly evaporated as the realization dawned on her of the necessity to undress out in the open, in the light of day.
And yes, having two men standing nearby made her a tad bit jumpy. In her travels with the boys, she never once considered having them stand guard while she took a dip in a stream, and she trusted them with all her heart.
"Buck up. This is your fault." Muttering under her breath to herself, Hermione unzipped her jumper and rolled it into a ball. The cool morning air raised goosebumps upon her arms, and she forced herself to quickly ignore the chilly air.
Shoving the item into her bag, she rutted around until she found the personal items she was searching for and a clean set of clothes. Setting them neatly on the bank she sucked in a deep breath and pushed on.
Toeing off her trainers, she cast another nervous glance toward Legolas and Gimli, pleased to find them deep in conversation. Divesting the rest of her clothing, she quickly wrapped a towel around her slight frame and inched toward the stream.
The water ran clear, giving her an easy view of the pebble covered bottom. With a hesitant step, she dipped her right foot in and nearly yelped as the water's freezing temperature bit at her toes. Jerking her foot back out, while hissing through her teeth, she stared at the water in disgust.
Knowing if she backed out now, she'd see that smug, knowing look in the Elf's eyes, Hermione did what any rational witch would, she quickly made her way into the water until she was chest deep, praying she didn't lose any fingers or toes over her stubborn pride.
It was the quickest wash and rinse of her life. She'd completely given up on keeping an eye on her 'guards', seeing how the only thing she could concentrate on was getting out of the water as quickly as humanly possible.
Her teeth chattered noisily in her head as she scrambled out of the water. Shivers took over her petite body, as she fumbled with the clothing she'd set out.
"B-brightest Witch my left f-foot." Half muttering and half growling under her breath, she fought a losing battle with her fingers to work properly.
"Are you finished yet?" Gimli half shouted, his impatience quite clear in his tone.
Jerking her head up in their direction, Hermione found their backs still to her. "Al-lmost."
Hardly caring over about a silly thing like being completely dry, she struggled with the denim jeans, trying to pull them up her still damp legs. Her hair hung around her shoulders in wet, soggy clumps, promising to be extra impossible to run a brush through.
Pulling the jumper over her head, she snatched her bag from the ground and made her way to where Legolas and Gimli were waiting.
"Was your bath refreshing?" Legolas asked as she marched past them, her stride faltered slightly before righting herself and continuing on.
"It was brilliant, thanks for asking." Her jaw nearly ached as she forced the words out, but she would absolutely die first, before admitting she'd been such a fool. "Thank you both for guarding me, in such a 'hostile' land." Her tone was saccharine sweet, though her sarcasm was impossible to ignore.
She heard Gimli snort from just behind her as her eyes scanned the area around them, before looking over her shoulder at Legolas. "Perhaps all the dangers you spoke of are hiding under a rock somewhere."
Instead of being insulted by her words, Legolas just smirked back at her. "It always pays to be vigilant."
She could have sworn he was mocking her, again, but after a second look his way, Hermione was startled to find that he was simply teasing her.
Was she really wound up so tight that she had misjudged the two men? Had the last year turned her so cynical she was unable to determine if someone was helping her, or was out to get her?
There had been a time when she would've have accepted their help gracefully. Where she possessed the ability to see their kind gesture for what it was. This realization scared her, more than she wanted to admit. She barely recognized the person she'd become, more importantly, she had no idea of how she was going to change it.
