Chapter 10: Appreciation
Legolas had accepted that explanation and left it at that. Ruby had wisely chosen to retain selective information from him and it was mainly about their diet, senses and immortality.
Leaving Legolas with his thoughts, she excused herself and made her way back to the camp. Castril suddenly appeared from behind a tree as if he had already been waiting for some time.
"My Lady, would you grace me with your company?" He asked. Ruby was comfortable in his presence, but yet she felt that she had had enough share of inquisitiveness to last her for the next few decades. She smiled back at him although her mind was thinking of an excuse to reject him kindly.
But she did not have to think for long for a shout pierced through the silent trees, loud and clear.
"Orcs!" The voice shouted. It was unmistakably Dhother's deep voice. The sound of steel being undrawn from their scabbards soon followed. It only meant that the Orcs had managed to come too close to the campsite already that bows and arrows were no longer possible.
She was not afraid for Adam's safety. Even a bear would not be able to take down Adam, much less an Orc. Though one was armed and the other just an animal, both fought with the same approach: brute force.
It was Seth that she was worried about, for the occasional wrestling matches between Seth and the vampires were not considered cumulative experience when in the face of battle.
Castril found himself alone as Ruby rushed off at a deadly speed. He quickly recovered from his shock and ran quickly towards the direction that Dhother had shouted from.
Seth was safe but not exactly contented with the current situation. He was surrounded in a protective circle by the Prince's company; elves that had accompanied Legolas to join the existing party led by Dhother.
It was easy to differentiate both parties because the Prince's convoy was dressed in a smart silver tunic. Dhother's subordinates were dressed in a deep forest green and brown that resembled Robin Hood's Merry Men.
And right now, the silver band was protecting Seth. It was logical. They must have heard of how Seth had gotten injured before in the previous Orc attack. Moreover, as Legolas and Castril had implied many times in their conversations, Ruby knew they treated the 3 of them as guests of the realm, albeit with doubt and suspicion included into the mix.
Seth was not very glad about it. Having already transformed into his wolf form when he noticed the scent of Orcs, he found himself encircled into the protective loop and unable to get out and teach the Orcs a lesson. He was snarling and pacing impatiently back and forth as the Elves would not budge from the protective ring.
It was comical to see the Silver Elves hesitate. They do not know whether to pay attention to the Orcs or to turn back and make sure that Seth does not try anything funny behind their backs.
Ruby, quietly relieved, joined Dhother, Adam and Legolas who were standing in a line. There was no need for them to get involved in the fight, yet.
The 'Merry Men' had already begun defending their place. There were not as many Orcs this time and there were more soldiers to hold their positions. Or so they thought.
Very soon, it was obvious that Orcs continued flooding in, yet the speed to bring them down stayed the same. Dhother and Legolas had their swords and knives drawn. Ruby looked to her brother for any signs to attack but saw him growling instead.
She wished Adam would not be so loud about it or the Elves would start noticing his behaviour. But even if they did, they were too engrossed in the battle to notice.
Adam moved before Ruby could say anything to him. He moved so quickly that he was almost a blur.
Many days ago, they already had an agreement. Future orc attacks would mean they would have to kill them via other means instead of plainly tearing them apart. They did not want to frighten the Elves so.
And the only way to go about it was to break their necks. It does not require brute strength nor weapons, for the vampires were unaccustomed to having to hold anything. And in the event there was blood shed on the battle ground, they were to explain that Seth was the one who took that Orc down.
The Prince's party was stunned when they saw Legolas. Their own Prince had joined the fight. They were unsure if they should do so themselves or continue protecting the unwilling Seth.
Seth saw his chance; a small gap among some of the undecided Elves. He dashed through and placed himself near to Adam and Ruby who were moving at breakneck speeds (a/n: pun unintended) bringing Orcs to the ground after snapping their thick and grotesque necks.
Seeing how even their charge had joined the battle, the Elves disbanded and spread themselves to wherever the Orcs were, confident that Seth was competent enough to protect himself at least for now.
The charging Orcs were slowing down to a halt. These creatures without a leader to guide them rarely stay in large numbers, though a small party would be damaging enough to farming villages that are often undefended and inexperienced with weaponry.
The Elves managed to bring down the majority and attention slowly turned to the last few surviving ones. It was then that they realized Adam and Ruby.
They fought like they were in a trance. It was as if they were possessed by another animal with strong bloodlust. For awhile, Castril was even afraid when he caught sight of Ruby's eyes. It was like he did not know her at all. He stood, sword in hand, not knowing if he should even step forward to offer his help.
It was also hard not to notice how strong Adam and Ruby's arms were, for although they were just twisting the necks of the Orcs they attacked, it was quick and fast, showing them just how strong the two actually were, for everyone knows that an Orc's neck was not so easy to break.
They did it with such vigour that had it not been an Orc, the creature may have already been decapitated easily enough.
The last Orc fell to the ground near Adam's feet before Ruby could even get to him.
Seth, having transformed back to his human form was panting as he leaned against a nearby tree, tired out from the action. Adam and Ruby, upon sensing Seth's heavy breathing, started doing the same to fit in with the others.
They became suddenly aware that the Elves, other than their breathlessness, were strangely silent. No shouting orders from Legolas or Dhother to clear the Orc bodies and burn them. No sounds either, from those attending to their injured comrades.
Instinctively, all 3 turned their heads and looked at their hosts.
The staring got to the point of being uncomfortable.
"Yes?" Adam asked no one in particular.
"Pardon our rudeness. We… are just… impressed. We have not witnessed such graceful fighting before against such uncouth beings like the Orcs. Moreover, both of you were unarmed!" Dhother said, breaking the silence.
"Exactly, Commander. What were you thinking to leave our guests unequipped for battle!" Legolas reprimanded his General loud enough for all the Elves to hear.
Dhother bowed to the Prince and to them apologetically.
"Prince Legolas, please do not blame Dhother. We are unarmed by choice, and not because Dhother did not think of it." Ruby quickly jumped to Dhother's defense because she felt that he should not be wronged.
Legolas winced when he heard how Ruby had addressed him. It was too formal and he disliked it much more than he thought he would have.
Aren't we already friends? He thought. Earlier on when Ruby had called him by name during their conversation, he had thought that they had made great progress as more than just mere acquaintances. He was even more delighted when she confessed about how she and her 2 companions had trespassed into Middle Earth unintentionally.
To him, the story was far-fetched. But anything was possible in Middle Earth. Praise the Valar. Maybe the Valar had intended for this for they badly needed allies against the Orc raids happening around the kingdom.
"It may not be safe to linger around here. This particular group of Orcs is exceptionally large. We must…" but before Dhother could continue, an Orc fell on him, dead.
The trees protected the party well out of view from enemies. They even provided the Elves with vital information regarding enemy whereabouts. But as with the Ents, the Trees were also slow and took a long time to communicate to each other, or with the Elves. A simple word may even take 10 minutes or more to verbalize.
Thus, the trees work both ways; to the benefit of the Elves, and to the benefit of the Orcs.
Fortunately for him, Adam had sensed a figure creeping behind the trees close to Dhother and had rushed to his side and felled the Orc before the despicable brute could harm the Commander.
King Thranduil finished the letter from his son, who was not the only one impressed by the visitors.
He placed the letter down on the study table alongside another from Dhother that he had finished reading earlier on.
Sivia continued awaiting King Thranduil's permission expectantly. The King motioned for his subject to read the letters.
"They saved Dhother's life?" Sivia said in an incredulous voice, not even pausing to look up at the King as he made his statement.
"Do you still doubt them?" The King asked with a twinkle in his eye.
"My Lord, this alone is not enough to give them complete trust!"
"We have lived long enough to be able to tell one's character. Would you not give our eyes the chance to see for ourselves what do we have that landed on our doorstep?" Thranduil asked.
Sivia pondered the risks involved. They had nothing to lose. There were countless guards within the palace, not to mention the team of bodyguards that were assigned to Thranduil. At least he would be safe especially if he mobilized all of them when the guests arrive.
Moreover, Legolas had nothing but praises for the Cold Ones and their shape-shifter friend. He would have seen it coming that his father would honour them with a banquet for saving the life of the King's (favourite) Commander. Knowing him since he was a child, Sivia was also sure that Legolas would not have placed Thranduil's life on the line if it had been even remotely dangerous.
And from the contents of his letter, Dhother himself was not an exception. He was more than impressed. He was indebted. It was obvious from the way he complimented his benefactors, and praises from Dhother were far and few between and were usually reserved for outstanding soldiers who had proven their mettle.
"As you wish, my King." Sivia bowed deeply. Thranduil was pleased and unrolled a parchment to begin his letter.
Ianin returned to the campsite with a message from the King. Legolas had eagerly waited for his arrival, already knowing what was in store for them.
Meanwhile, Adam, Ruby continuously cared for the injured for they felt obligated to. Moreover, without the need to sleep, they found themselves being able to help the Healer more than the other Elves who needed as much as rest as a typical human being.
Thankfully, none of the Elves were too seriously injured. Even Castril's leg wound only required bandaging though Ruby had foolishly offered to stitch up the wound, much to the Healer's horror since the wound was just a superficial one.
Adam was puzzled as he could sense Castril's emotions. It seemed like the Elf had very much wanted his leg to be stitched up by Ruby even though it was not necessary. He sensed the weird wave of disappointment wash over Castril when the Healer deemed the stitching unnecessary and Ruby moved off to attend to the next injured Elf.
Despite the Healer himself frequently trying to shoo them away to get some rest, Adam and Ruby tended to the injured tirelessly. Resting, or pretending to rest, only made them more irritable. They had to lie down and pretend to sleep when they could have been helping out.
They finally understood why Carlisle had dedicated himself to the medical profession. Minus the issue they have with human blood, with their speed and accuracy, they could do so much, so quickly, in a short span of time.
On the other hand, Seth had been going off on his own very often. Adam could attend to the patients because he could sense their emotions. Ruby is a female to begin with and is naturally good with such stuff.
So he had offered his services of being in charge of hunting for food. To him, hunting was one of the easiest task in the world. With him doing the hunting, he could also secretly sneak back animal blood for Adam and Ruby before the catch is passed on to the cooks, so he felt it was a win-win situation.
Ruby stood up after her nimble fingers secured a fresh bandage onto the wound of an Elf. She had long noticed, from the corner of her eye how Legolas and Dhother were speaking to Adam at a quiet corner that was out of hearing range.
Adam hardly spoke but was nodding his head ever so often.
Sensing her eyes on him, Adam glanced at her way to acknowledge her questioning stare. At least Adam's relaxed posture assured her that everything was okay. Or maybe not.