Be glad they aren't Wargs

(Glorfindel POV)

Irony began walking slower. And so, Glorfindel decided to walk slower as well. So far, the human had not seemed hesitant as to which way to go nor to which turn to take. In fact, she had been so sure of herself that the Vanya could swear she had already explored the cave. That aroused more suspicions from him against her. He half expected her to jump on him with a knife at any moment, though he did not remember seeing her pack anything with a blade in her bag. Nor had he noticed any suspicious bulge in her boots, nor around her waist or hips.

Still, now that they were too far from the castle for anyone to hear them, even if they screamed, Irony had suddenly stopped.

She plunged her hand in her bag as she turned her face to the side to throw him half a smiled. The balrog slayer tensed. He could not get his eyes off the hand he could not see. What was the woman reaching for?

"Are you afraid of me?" she asked out of nowhere, sounding almost surprised. Instinctively, the elf shook his head and smiled a little trying at the same time not lose focus off the human's hand. It wasn't moving in the bag, meaning that she had probably found whatever she been looking for. "Answer truthfully." she insisted, fully turning around this time.

"Why would you think such a thing?" he answered now holding her gaze. He had not lied. He wasn't afraid of her. He was simply leery regarding what she was about to do. Or so he liked to think. Being afraid of a female mortal would be ridiculous, wouldn't it? But what if just like she wasn't exactly human, Irony was no longer exactly mortal?Nor even physically weaker than an elf?

"You keep staring at me," she accused, squinting her eyes. "Just as if I you were thinking that I am hiding something..." She faked looking her her words, like she often did. "Dangerous from you." she finally finished.

When the human said the word 'dangerous', the lord of the golden flower glanced at her bag to make sure her hand was still in it. It hadn't moved.

Glorfindel began to wonder if Irony knew what he had been staring at precisely. Knowing Irony, she had probably guessed. But in case her intentions were not half as innocent as she made them seem to be, the balrog slayer decided that feigning ignorance was the best option for now."How would you know if I have been staring at you when you have been walking in front of me all this time?"

The woman cocked her head to the side. "I could feel you stare." she said, half complaining about it and frowning. Her hand was still hidden inside her bag. "But you make a point there;" she started again, grinning. "You're the one who can see in the dark and yet, you have me walk in front of you."

The elf was taken aback for a second. He had told her to walk in front of him so that he could observe her at the distance of his choosing, pretexting that it was to guarantee her protection. "I have asked you to walk in front of me so that I would not have to worry about any projectiles being shot at you from behind, all the while being able to see what is coming from the front."

Irony raised her left brow. She did not believe him.

"You keep on asking questions about what I will do next." she replied as next argument, taking a large step forward. Her hand was still inside of the bag.

"Am I not allowed to wonder what my dear friend will do once this chapter of her life will be closed?"

Irony sighed. "Glorfindel." she exhaled sounding somewhere between disappointed and annoyed. "Your hand has reached for your sword every time I have turned around. And it has locked itself firmly around the grip when I took a step towards you, a second ago." Glorfindel looked down at his hand. It was in fact locked around his sword's grip. "You don't even know you are doing this, do you?"

"I-"

"I am not going to kill you." she cut, slowly and carefully taking her hand out of her bag. Glorfindel readied himself to strike. However, Irony's hand was empty. "Nor anyone else." she added furrowing her brows. "I can't kill any of your kind, anyway. And even if I could, I wouldn't." She sounded desperate. She wanted him to believe him. But should he?

"Not even Legolas?" he asked. Irony had growled many unkind words about him under her breath, clenching her fists, while walking. The balrog slayer was positive he had heard her say 'I will kill him' at some point. Although, now that he thought about it, she had not specifically said that she wanted to kill Legolas, she had just said 'him'.

"Are you mad?!" she yelled! Glrofindel stepped back. "When Legolas finds out that I left, that I literally exchanged him against gold coins, that my blood is similar to an orc's, and that I brought you along to flee with me, he will be out of his damned elven mind!" She snarled. "Do you have any idea of what he is capable of when he is mad?" Glorfindel didn't know the exact answer to that question so he shook his head as an answer. Still, he remembered very well the time he had confronted the prince about Irony; the Sinda had proved to be much stronger than he looked and completely unable to control himself. "Well if you don't, I do!" she yelled. "He almost strangled me when...then he tied my wrist so tightly...and...FUCK! The way he killed those men so easily, as if it didn't matter, it-" She paused, breathing heavily. Glrofindel looked at her up and down; Irony was shaking. She is terrified of him...And she is right to be. "The very last thing I want is to cross his way." She turned around as if she was done, only to turn back again. "He'll hate me, Glorfindel." she said so low the elf almost didn't hear her. "That's not what I want. I wanted...I'm not just leaving because of that arse of Thranduil, I'm also doing it so that Legolas won't suffer."

Glorfindel bit his lips. He felt guilty for having doubted her. He put each one of his hands on her shoulders. "What are you trying to protect him from?"

The woman pushed her friend away, plunged her hand back into her bag, and took a jar out of it. It was full of a sort of viscous paste that had a strong smell of cinnamon and lemon. "We're close to the exit." she affirmed, changing the subject. Whatever she wanted to hide, must be compromising enough for her to refuse speaking of it even now. "Rub that all over your skin and clothes. Even you boots." she told him as she started doing so herself.

The elf touched the mixture with a finger. "It sticks..."

"If it didn't stick, it would fall off you before we would even encounter a spider, making it useless." She handed the jar to him, insisting on that he takes more of the paste. "Just be glad that it isn't wargs we are trying to avoid. Otherwise it is their excrement we would have to rub all over ourselves so that they would not be able to smell us."

Thinking about that made Glorfindel cringe. Elves did not like dirt; they were clean creatures. They liked what smelled good and what was untainted.

He plunged his hand in the jar and began to apply it on his clothes.

"What if it doesn't turn out the way you expect it to turn? What if the spiders aren't repelled by it?" he asked Irony who was applying the repellent on her hair. Gross.

"Plan B."

When she did not explain herself, the Vanya felt compelled to question her about it. "May I ask what plan B is?"

"We run." she replied un-alarmed about the inefficiency of her plan. "You in one direction, and me in the other." She stood. "Hurry, we should leave. They have probably noticed that we are gone by now. Our only chance to avoid them is to arrive at the river before they scatter all around the forest."

(Legolas POV)

Perfectly still behind a thick tree, the prince let the spider that had been slowing him and his guard down pass him. The beast was amongst the biggest he had seen so far, and it was relentless. It had bitten three elves in only a few minutes. Legolas put those victims on Irony's back. Wasn't it because of her that his brothers in arms were out here? Aye, it was her fault.

When in its search for a next victim, the creature went down a few branches, Legolas gripped his sword and jumped on the spiders back. In an instant, his blade was deep inside the monster's flesh causing it to shriek and move about in order to make the prince fall. But Legolas kept his balance. He wasn't impressed by the insect; he had killed some of them before, and he would kill this one as well. He pulled his sword out of the spider's back, only to stab it again. And again. And again. And again, until the creature screeched, and finally, ceased to moved. Legolas jumped off it before the heavy body fell.

Having heard nearby leaves move, without taking the time to take his breath, Legolas turned around, ready for his next offensive.

Tauriel came out of the leaves. Thankfully the elleth blocked the prince's sword before it was too late. "Watch out with that sword, it isn't made of wood." she scolded her friend. Legolas lowered his sword, but did not utter an apology.

"Have you found them?"

Tauriel frowned deeply. And taking her sweet time, she sheathed back her short swords. Legolas grew impatient for he knew Tauriel was acting this way on purpose; it was her way to punish him for being rash. She had always thought that he acted before thinking about the consequences his acts could have. "So?" he urged.

"They have been spotted west." she finally told him. He immediately sheathed his swords as well.

"What is the king waiting for to order their capture?"

"He is waiting for Irony to reveal her powers."

It was Legolas's turn to frown. "Powers?" he repeated. "Is this a joke?" he growled. Maybe Tauriel was on cahoot with the woman and the balrog slayer. After all, she and the Vanya were seen walking together in king's garden once or twice. "Irony has no power! She doesn't know the first thing about magic! If anything, she is scared of it! And you are aware of that for I have told you about it myself, before."

He took a threatening step towards the captain of the guard. But she wasn't impressed. She stood tall and proud to face him. "She might have fooled you on that point as well." she replied on the same icy tone he had used. The words cut him deep, but Legolas found he deserved them. He had jumped too quickly to false conclusions."The lord Glorfindel and her walked past three spiders untouched."

Legolas never expected that. "How?"

"We know not." she admitted sounding annoyed. "For now." she added. "The spiders surrounded them, got ready to attack then... the woman jumped on of them; she grabbed its leg and... it jerked back and stepped out of her way." Legolas remembered how Irony had managed to capture the small spider, in the castle's kitchen; she did not seem to fear it, as if she had known it wouldn't hurt her. "Following that, the two others spiders did not attempt to approach neither her, nor the balrog slayer."

"I have heard enough, take me to her." he ordered the elleth. She did not move a foot. She only crossed her arms on her chest. The prince sighed. "Please." he added, annoyed. Tauriel turned back in the direction from which she had come, to show him the way.

(Irony POV)

Findel had tried to convince Irony to travel from branch to branch. Irony had snarled and told him that he might as well break both her legs before they beginning the running. She now regretted not having listened to him. Moving on the ground and hiding in bushes was useful when the people after you were humans, not when they were elves. Damn elves moved in the trees, what enabled them to see perfectly what was happening on the ground all the while being hidden behind thick and high trunks, branches, and a whole lot of leaves! Besides, no bush was big enough to hide Glorfindel. Why did he have to grow so tall and large?!

A branch cracked. Glorfindel pushed Irony behind him as if to shield her from something. But after a few seconds, no projectile was thrown, and no other noise was heard.

Not one, single, little, noise. Not one.

"No animals." Irony whispered. "Not even birds."

"They must be close." replied the balrog slayer, confirming Irony's fear.

"Closer than you think."said a familiar. Less than a second after, arms were closing around Irony. She suddenly felt some pressure on her side. Then her face met the floor. Pushing herself back on her feet as fast as she could, she looked around to understand what had happened. Glorfindel was standing in front of another elf. Her friend had pushed her away from Legolas.

"Plan B!" yelled the Vanya as he took out his sword.

Irony turned around to run. But a sword was in front of her face. Not even trying to understand whose sword it was, she ran in the opposite direction. She was grabbed. She squirmed to set herself free, until she realized it was Glorfindel who had caught her. She looked at the ground: an arrow was planted exactly where she would have been if her friend had not saved her. She looked around. They were everywhere: in the trees and on the ground, forming a circle around her and Glorfindel. When did they-? How could Glorfindel not have heard them?

"Arrow coming from the left!" she told Glorfindel, who was struggling to keep Legolas at bay all the while carrying her over his shoulder. He moved swiftly away. The arrow missed. But Legolas's sword cut through the balrog slayer's clothes on the forearm. He let Irony fall. She was beginning to feel nauseous from being shaken around so much.

A hand grabbed her arm. She raised her head look at who it belonged. It was Legolas's; he was taking advantage of the fact that Glorfindel was checking his wound. She snatched it away from him only to crawl backwards, to Glorfindel, who at the sight of his blood seemed to have become mad. 'Battle fever' was what orcs called it when one showed atypical violence during a fight.

Barely avoiding Irony, the Vanya launched himself at the prince. He swung left. The prince stopped the blow with one of his short swords. But the balrog slayer was stronger, and he kept pushing. Legolas was forced to use his second sword in order to fully block the attack. Out of the blue, Glorfindel kicked the prince's leg, who lost his balance and fell.

All the soldiers were so fascinated by the duel that they seemed to have forgotten to fire their arrows. Even the king was standing still. However he was tensed and irritated, certainly not fascinated.

Irony used that time to stand back up. She barely had the time to take a step, before seeing Thranduil make an almost invisible gesture of the hand. A sensation of imminent danger crossed her. And her instinct was right. However no arrow nor blade came her way. Scared of what it could mean, she turned to glance at Glorfindel. Galdor and about twenty golden elves were trying to restrain the Vanya, who alone, managed quite well to keep them all at a safe distance. Irony felt reassured. Until she realized Legolas was nowhere to be seen.

"No one can help you now." the prince whispered in her ear.

A/N:

I am sorry guys, I can't let you know about the ending! But this chapter is not the last one, that's all I can say!

I am under the impression some of you are feeling like feel when I read game of thrones when reading this fic! First You are all excited, then so mad you don't want to read the story any more, but you just can't help it! If it is the case, then I'm glad! reading should always be intense!

And omg, writing 'Glorfindel' so many times without misspelling it must but the hardest thing I have ever done XD (or did I misspell it somewhere?)

Guest 1: I am glad that you understood really quickly that Irony was also leaving for Legolas! I was afraid it wouldn't obvious enough or that I wouldn't find a place for Irony to explain that!

Guest 2: I also think that Thranduil and Irony should hang out more together, they'd make a funny duo! But seeing as things are turning out for now, I doubt they'll get a chance to get to know each other..or will they get enough time?

Amy: Sit tight! The next chapter will be even more complex!

Komakipureblood: One never knows what can happen when characters with different personalities all have a different goals set in mind!

Thank you for all your lovely comments 3