AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
By: mirkwood-elf-2931 & Thala


CHAPTER 14


Landailyn free fell for a mere split second. Her hand raking the ground as she slid off, trying to find something to hold on to, when she instead felt something grab her hand and she jerked to a stop. Slowly she looked up, her blonde hair whipping across her face with the east wind. She fully expected to see Faeroth's face, taunting her.

Instead, she was extremely relieved at seeing who it really was. Her groggy eyes released the tears she didn't know she'd been holding; they streaked downward, running through the dirt that smudged her face. "Don't let go, Thalawen! Don't let me go!" She pleaded, her watery eyes huge as she stared up at the Half-Elf. She hated this feeling of weakness, but everything in the past few weeks with corsairs, and cliffs, and much pain with little rest had finally taken its toll on her mind and body.

"It's alright, Landy," Thalawen said soothingly. She was actually quite out of breath from the run, but would not let loose the hold on her friend. Thalawen tried to pull her back up, grabbing her uninjured arm with both hands, but could not do it alone. "Give me your other hand, Landy! I need your other hand!"

After several tries to lift her hurt arm, Landailyn gave up, sobbing, "I can't!"

"Yes, you can! Give it to me!" She knew her command would be heeded. "Now!"

With all the hurts she had endured over the last several days, Landailyn was about to endure more. The pangs in her shoulder made her cry out as she threw her arm upward.

Thalawen caught it above the elbow and pulled with all her might. "You're almost up, Landy. Hold on!" She dragged her friend up and over the side, still dragging her back further from the crumbling edge. Both sitting on the ground, Thalawen pulled her in her arms and hugged her. "You're okay, my friend. Everything is okay."

They both had momentarily forgotten the captain, but looked now to where he was, thanking the Valar that Legolas was there too.


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"You just had to come to the rescue, didn'cha?" growled the ex-captain of the Shadow Specter.

Legolas glared at the man, burning fury in his eyes. He was the one that had caused all this; the one that had caused his friends pain that they didn't deserve. "That's right. Never will you hurt another innocent as long as we stand in the way."

Faeroth cocked his head and smiled amusingly at the male Elf's intended threat. "Then I guess I'll just have to get you all out of my way." The corsair lunged sideways for his lost weapon. Retrieving it with the thud of his body, he threw it, aiming for the Elf's chest, but still he continued to underestimate this race.

Legolas was easily faster and dodged the flying knife, then did what he had to do, firing another arrow. It entered through the man's chest and straight into his heart, ending his life instantly and painlessly. Even if the prince knew painless was not what this man deserved in the least.

The captain lay in utter stillness having rolled onto his back, blood deeply staining his light brown shirt.

Thalawen and Landailyn watched as the prince then hastily approached their spot. "Landailyn, are you alright?! I should not have left you alone, I'm sorry…"

The Elf captain still lay in Thalawen's arms, sighing and closing her eyes. It was relieving to see that her near killer was finally dead. "It's all right, Legolas. Hanned lle," [Thank you,] she said, her voice carrying a pitch barely above a whisper as she tried hard to compose herself. The event that the fall she could have taken would have been the death of her.

"Thank Thala, she knew where to find you."

Landailyn glanced from Legolas up to Thalawen in uncertainty.

"I had a dream before Arwen came with the news of you," she explained almost hesitantly as if embarrassed or ashamed. "It was exactly what happened...except you were the one that died, not him. He killed you."

Stunned by this, Landailyn achingly sat up, wiping away the wetness of her previous tears. "He would have…if you two had not come when you did." And the she-Elves knew that it would not have been by falling off the cliff. "Thank you both."

Together, they helped Landailyn up from the ground, and while Thalawen continued to steady her, and check her arm for another dislocation, Legolas collected his arrows from Faeroth's body.

After all three agreed her arm was fine, and without so much as a backward glance, they returned to their camping area.

As certainly expected, Legolas was more than hesitant about leaving either of them alone again, but Thalawen assured him she would keep careful watch while he went off to find their four searching companions.

Landailyn hadn't said a word on the way back, and after seeing Legolas off; Thalawen watched her now sitting across the low fire, resting her forehead against the fingers of her left hand. She knew she had to be tired and quickly went to find her bedroll on Asfaloth. Landailyn's things were still on the white horse as well as she and Arwen's.

Thalawen didn't speak either as she came back with the pallet, handing it down to her friend.

Landailyn took it with understanding and nodded her thanks. She did need rest, and for a change, she actually wanted it. Rolling the padding out over the dewy grass, she only hoped she had none of the nightmarish foreseeing dreams that Thalawen had been experiencing. Lying on her left side, she gazed with droopy eyes into the flames that separated she and Thalawen. "Thala?"

The dark haired Elf looked back down from her surveillance of the camp.

"Why is it always us who get in to trouble? Why do our adventures always go bad?" she asked lazily. Landailyn pondered further. "Is it the combination of Arwen, you, and I? Arwen," she mused, "the one who is soft hearted, the lover of a king. I am a captain of arms, a woman who is in love with her own prince. And you, Thala." Landailyn continued to look across the fire at her friend. "I am unable to categorize you. You are a warrior that is for sure, you love the same man I love, I know that as well, but I cannot say "Thalawen the Warrior" nor can I say "Thalawen the Lover of a Man She Cannot Have." If, given a word for you it would be protect. I would have to describe you as "Thalawen the Protectress" because that is simply what you are." She paused in her contemplations and looked directly into Noldor Elf's eyes. "Is it not? Is that not the word to depict you as you truly are?"

Embarrassed, Thalawen looked into the fire itself, not meeting her friend's eyes. All that Landailyn said had been true, and Thalawen felt ashamed that her inner being had been drawn out into the light. Yes, she was a ruthless warrior, callous at times, to defeat her enemies. Yes, she did love Legolas, coincidentally the same man that Landailyn loved, and yes, what she said about not being able to have Legolas was absolutely true. But also, being labeled the Protectress was true as well. For as long as she could remember, Thalawen had been the protector of everything around her, most certainly Arwen. It was all she knew.

Banishing those thoughts, pushing them back into the dark depths from which they had come, Thalawen looked back to Landailyn. "Get some sleep, you're exhausted."

Landailyn let out a chuckle. "Perhaps I am, and perhaps I'm not. That is for me to decide."

"Wrong. Lack of sleep is making you delusional." Thalawen went and sat next to her, holding her friend's head in her lap. "Close your eyes, it's always easier to sleep that way."

A small smile formed on Landailyn's mouth. "Ah, there is my protector again, always looking out for everyone but herself." The smile disappeared. "But who looks after you, my friend?" she asked. "Who will save you when you're so busy saving the rest of us?"

Absently, Thalawen smoothed Landailyn's hair away from her brow. "That is for me to decide. You sleep now," she whispered.

"I'm so glad I met you, Thala. I don't know what I'd do without you in my life," said the blonde Elf as she finally drifted off to sleep.

Thalawen looked down again and smiled warmly at the sight of her friend's sleeping face. "And I you, my friend."

Alone for another agonizing fifteen minutes, Thalawen remained alert, thinking long and hard on her dream and what had really happened after she and Legolas had interfered with a scene that was meant to be. Voices within the woods caused her to stand at attention, leaving her place with Landailyn. Soon she greeted the three returning companions and while two stayed on with her, the third went out in search once more.

Arwen knelt next to Landailyn, looking her over for injury, being careful not to wake her in any way. "Is she alright?" She looked up in question at her sister.

Thalawen nodded, already lying down on her own bedroll. "Just tired."

"As we all are." mumbled the Human.


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After the prince returned with the twins, each man took his turn at keeping watch while the three women received their deserved rest the whole night through. The following day would bring much walking and the she-Elves would need their strength for the next two weeks of nothing but it.


TBC ...

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mirkwood-elf-2931:
A huge apology to our readers! Really sorry we are not getting our chapters out as fast as usual, we've kinda had writer's block for one thing...and as Thala explained in a review that we both had deaths in our families just last week. Anyway, 15 will be awhile too. And finally someone (Kate) acknowledged in a review that Thalawen has foresight! And I know I say this a lot, but thank you all for your reviews once again! They're great; we love each and every one and check everyday to see if there are any new! You all have your opinions and it makes us happy to see we are pleasing you each chapter as the story goes along! However, I think I can guarantee there will at least be 20 chapters or close to that...or possibly more, we have no idea where it will land this time! LOL
I also would like to add that a couple weekends ago I got to do something I have always wanted to do! Me, my brother and my friend Beth (she's from Oklahoma) all went 'real' ghost hunting! It was cool! We found a couple cemeteries close to our town on a website that showed directions to different haunted places in Missouri! So if you're interested, please check out my website's homepage, there's a link that says: My Ghost Hunting Experience! The page on there is about the log I wrote on one of the cemeteries we went to called Spanish Fort and when all the pics are developed I'll be posting them along with the other cemetery's page!