They rode hard for a long time, Kahli clinging to her mount's neck in
fearful desperation. The stallion seemed tireless, galloping onward with no
guidance, dodging any and every obstacle with swift ease. Time sped by as
quickly as the trees, losing all meaning to the pair, horse and rider.
Kahli was aware only of the bunching and springing of muscles beneath her,
the pounding of hooves, her heart thudding away in her chest. Nothing more
seemed important enough, no thoughts could work themselves out. Everything
was a blur of motion and at the very center was the rhythm that seemed to
control all.
After a time, be it seconds, minutes, hours, even days later, she didn't know, Kazor slowed his own pace and eased into a gentle trot. The change in what had previously seemed an endless beat managed to rouse the dwarf and for the first time since leaving, she lifted her head and looked about. They had gone far; the forest had changed drastically. No longer was it harsh, overgrown and wild. It had become lush, green, beautiful. And almost… mystical?
Kahli shook herself sharply. What was she thinking? This part of the woods was no different than any other part! It had no secrets, no "mystic beauty" to it and no more birds than the rest of the forest, despite the fact that their racket had increased a hundredfold. So… why did it seem so different?
Stories. Of course. She had always been fascinated with the stories told by the elder members of the caravan. And for some reason their favorite stories were ones about enchanted woods. Always about enchanted woods.
"And with my wild imagination," she said out loud to herself, dispersing the silence that was suddenly so frightening, "No wonder this place seems magic." The dwarf bobbed her head in a nod. Explanations were always just the thing to make one feel better about a situation she was unsure of.
"Why is it, that the word 'magic' is used when something is not understood?" In an instant, a melodic voice shredded any comfort she had managed to obtain.
"Wha… er… who's there?!" Kahli managed to squeak out, halting her pony and unconsciously pulling her hood closer about her face. She sat tense in the saddle, eyes flicking about in every direction as she desperately tried to spot the owner of the strange voice.
"Do dwarves always talk to themselves?" A new voice, slightly lower than the first, but with the same musical quality, piped up, this time from behind her. Instantly she whirled around, trying to spot where it came from. Still no luck.
"Who… who are you?" Every bit of effort she possessed went into keeping her voice as steady as possible. She mustn't be made a fool of. For the honor of her people, she mustn't.
"We should be the ones asking that, dwarf," came the reply. Kahli stifled a heavy sigh. So much for not being made a fool of.
But before this thought could even finish registering, figures suddenly materialized all around her, forming a loose, yet secure circle. They simply formed, the trees' shadows taking a tangible structure, it seemed. Indeed, they almost seemed to be the very creation of nature itself. Each one was tall, impossibly so, and slim. Willowy, like tree branches, yet supple as well. All were clad in colors of the forest: greys, greens, browns. And all had like colors for eyes, as well as surprisingly straight hair. That was blond, nonetheless.
She couldn't help herself. Kahli stared openly at those surrounding her, jaw hanging slack and eyes wide in amazement. Lucky thing her hood covered the complete shock that likely showed on her face. But never before had she seen people like these! Why, they were exactly the opposite of her own people. Astoundingly strange and even… dare she say it? Ugly. Well, yes. It was true. So weak they appeared, so pale and sickly. Nothing compared to the sturdy, muscular build of her own people.
And then, in an instant, she understood. Elves. These were elves! She had heard tales before, whispered legends, horrors, wistful memories. So much talk of this strange race, and she remembered all she had before heard. They were exactly as she had imagined. Or at least, now that she saw them, they were. Perhaps she hadn't been able to envision with quite this detail, but they fit the descriptions. Perfectly.
Thoughts were suddenly whipping by in her mind, faster than she had ever thought possible. She was seeing elves! Real, live, in person! Dangerous, strange, mysterious. And she was completely alone. As well as weaponless.
Each one of them, at least five, she counted in front of her and at the sides, had bows. With arrows pointed directly at her. This suddenly didn't look so good.
There was a pause; not a single member of the circle moved a muscle. And then one spoke, quietly, hesitantly. "Pedathon, Gildur?" His Elvish seemed to blend with the silence, not a bit out of place, as was everything with this People. There was only a moment's hesitation, before a reply came, equally soft.
"Pedo."
From the ring stepped a tall elf, slightly younger in appearance than the others, though they were all astoundingly young looking, with lighter- tinted brown hair instead of the usual pale blond. He held his head high as he stepped forward, any unsureness disappearing as he faced the dwarf with an almost cocky confidence, staring down at her with dark green eyes. The gap left behind was filled in one smooth motion as his fellows adjusted accordingly. Then once more, nothing moved. Long minutes passed and Kahli grew anxious, trying her very best not to falter under the harsh stares of those on all sides of her. Their arrows were still held at the ready and she dared not make any sudden moves.
"What brings you forth, off the road and into our lands, Dwarf?" The elf directly before her asked suddenly, voice calm and smooth. Kazor tossed his mane impatiently and she gathered his reins tighter, fiddling with them as she prepared an answer.
"I… I'm searching for some runaway ponies. We were attacked on the road and need to leave swiftly, else another attack comes…" She struggled to keep her voice even, to hold back the tremor of fear that threatened to enter it. So many tales told of the elves. They were dangerous.
"Then why do you not move on and leave your beasts of burden behind? If you are indeed in so great a hurry as you suggest," the speaker shot back, not missing a beat. If she didn't know any better, she'd think he was getting some sort of amusement out of interrogating her like this. Her jaw set angrily.
"Without those ponies there is no way be can move at all, let alone quickly!" Kahli snapped, very tempted to add some extra comments. Most of which would be rather rude, at the moment. She refrained from saying such things and instead continued, "Our caravan contains many valuable things. They are our livelihood. If we are forced to leave them behind, as we would have to do if our ponies were not retrieved, we would all starve!" Fear was momentarily forgotten and she muttered an addition to this under her breath, "What would you know of our ways, anyway?"
There was a long silence as the elves gazed at her with terrifyingly piercing stares. She couldn't help but feel that they could somehow see past her hood and had seen both the fear and the anger on her face. It seemed to her they heard every slight shake in her voice, every unsure pause, every murmured comment. They somehow knew all and were judging her.
So these were elves. Strange creatures, one with everything, knowing everything, intense and watchful. They were silent, mocking, infuriating, prying… But what of the other part she had heard of? Tales of how dangerous these People were had been told, but in equal abundance, tales of their over-cheerfulness had been told of as well. Although, Kahli thought to herself, those tales were from long ago. Back when the world was far younger and the Men weren't multiplying as rapidly and the Elves were the dominant race. Before the famed War of the Ring, before even the esteemed Thorin, the Heir of Durin, had gone to seek out his fortune, stolen by the dread dragon Smaug. Now the race of Elves was diminishing and, she supposed, had less to be merry about. Though that was perhaps the only thing she had ever really wanted to see about this strange race, their merriment. She certainly wasn't seeing it now.
Fond they seemed of silence and long pauses. Acting and speaking slowly, like they had all the time in the world. Perhaps they did. She wouldn't put it passed them; they seemed like they were capable of just about everything, despite their far from sturdy appearance.
They stared at her, no fewer than seven pairs of eyes trained on her. No less than sever bows. She trembled, despite herself. Unnerving it was. Even her father wouldn't be able to hold under such pressure, she thought to herself, and he was very strong, to be sure.
Kazor whiffed impatiently and tossed his head a little, pawing the ground. He peered at the elves from under his heavy forelock and flicked his ears irritably, chomping the bit. Rather than think about how many of her people's worst enemies were surrounding her, staring, she focused on the edgy pony, shifting her weight a little and trying to keep him from picking up her nervousness. That wouldn't help things any, his getting even more anxious.
Finally the first elf, the one she guessed to be the leader of the group, spoke. His voice was low and quiet; she could barely catch the words. And even then, she could understand not a word of it. But it seemed to have been an order, as two more elves stepped forward and took places next to the younger-looking elf. Then, in the blink of an eye, the others disappeared, leaving not a trace that they were ever there.
Kahli found herself staring into the depths of the forest after them, trying fruitlessly to figure out where the many elves had suddenly gone. Not into thin air, of course. But then… where? She shifted nervously in the saddle as a thought surfaced above the others. Maybe her father was wrong. Maybe it was possible to disappear into thin air. These were elves, after all. Who knew?
And then she was jerked back to the present. Where three elves remained, watching her closely with eyes that reminded her strangely of those deep, mysterious lakes they sometimes passed. Lakes that always seemed to be hiding something. Shaking herself once more, she addressed them as bravely as possible.
"Uh… can I help you?" Her voice trembled and her choice of words was pathetic. Silently, she cursed herself. Get a grip! Was this the best she could do?
"A better question might be, how might we help you?" Replied the darker- haired elf, corners of his mouth turning up to suggest some sort of amusement. At her, probably, she thought in annoyance before pushing it back once more.
"Help me? Why would you want to do that?"
"You said you were seeking out your ponies. We are here to assist you."
Oh, well, that wasn't so bad. All they wanted to do was help, after all. And it might get the job done twice as fast if they were along. Four pairs of eyes, experienced hunters and she had heard that these elves were expert trackers as well. That might come in usefu—
Hold it.
Kahli checked her thoughts abruptly. What on Middle-earth was she thinking?! These were elves she was talking about! Not another clan of dwarves, not the long-time friends of her people, the ravens, not even Men! Elves were the enemy! They were crafty, dangerous, unable to be trusted. Or so she had been told… But the elders were wise! They would know far better than she would, of course. She was young, very young. How was she to know the ways of other races? Yes, better to listen to the words of those far older and far more experienced. Not matter how wrong they seemed at the moment.
"Thank you, but no. I need no assistance," she responded to the offer, as politely as possible.
"It would be wise to accept, Dwarf." One of the lighter-haired elves spoke up, tone far more demanding than the first's. He spat the word 'dwarf' out like it was something incredibly foul.
Kahli's dark eyebrows rose beneath her hood. "Oh would I?" She snapped in return, not liking this one at all.
"We are not going to allow one of you roaming around our forest unsuper—" The unfriendly elf was cut off by the first with a sharp hand motion.
"Hold your tongue, Borran." He ordered harshly, dark green eyes narrowing at the other. "No one ask your opinion on the matter." At this, the one called Borran glowered angrily, bowing his head and taking a step back.
"As you wish, Teiledh." Any unpleasantness in this went ignored.
"Now," The first turned back to face her, face almost stressfully serious. "I apologize for Borran's rudeness, although he is indeed correct. I was hoping not to…" He trailed off for a moment, as if searching for the right words. This surprised Kahli notably. Weren't elves supposed to be extremely good at this sort of thing?
"Not to tell me?" She supplied, slightly insulted at the lack of being told straight-out. "So I'm not allowed to pass without a guard, then? You should have just said so."
"I should have…" Teiledh stared at her, the important ring in his voice suddenly lost. In a jolt of shock and more than a little amusement, Kahli noted that he seemed almost flustered. Or as close to it as an elf could get. His strangely smooth, straight jaw set firmly and looked as though he was trying to regain his composure. She managed to catch a quick grin from the elf on his right, though it was quickly covered up and he moved forward a little, offering support. Seemed those two were friends. Just the same, she wasn't about to let him catch himself and keep bashing on her. Before his friend's backup presence could help, she spoke up.
"Look, I'm wasting time. Are you three going to guard me, or what?" A tiny grin was forming on her face and now more than ever she loved her hooded cloak. Her hands shifted a little on Kazor's reins and the black pony tensed beneath her, ready to move off at the slightest command.
But the elf managed to collect himself quicker than she had expected, attitude and all. "The offer still stands," he lifted his shoulders as he spoke, standing up straighter and doing his little importance act again. "Would you prefer guards or help?"
Oh. So elves were a little better at this than she had assumed. He had her there. She paused, trying frantically to think up a witty reply. None came. Instead, she decided rather bravely, she wouldn't reply at all. Let him come back from that.
With a soft cluck to her pony, who whirled about and started off into the woods eagerly, Kahli rode off to resume her search. If they wanted to guard her so badly they could just catch her, she thought as she leaned over Kazor's black mane, leaving the three elves far behind.
Or so she thought.
After a time, be it seconds, minutes, hours, even days later, she didn't know, Kazor slowed his own pace and eased into a gentle trot. The change in what had previously seemed an endless beat managed to rouse the dwarf and for the first time since leaving, she lifted her head and looked about. They had gone far; the forest had changed drastically. No longer was it harsh, overgrown and wild. It had become lush, green, beautiful. And almost… mystical?
Kahli shook herself sharply. What was she thinking? This part of the woods was no different than any other part! It had no secrets, no "mystic beauty" to it and no more birds than the rest of the forest, despite the fact that their racket had increased a hundredfold. So… why did it seem so different?
Stories. Of course. She had always been fascinated with the stories told by the elder members of the caravan. And for some reason their favorite stories were ones about enchanted woods. Always about enchanted woods.
"And with my wild imagination," she said out loud to herself, dispersing the silence that was suddenly so frightening, "No wonder this place seems magic." The dwarf bobbed her head in a nod. Explanations were always just the thing to make one feel better about a situation she was unsure of.
"Why is it, that the word 'magic' is used when something is not understood?" In an instant, a melodic voice shredded any comfort she had managed to obtain.
"Wha… er… who's there?!" Kahli managed to squeak out, halting her pony and unconsciously pulling her hood closer about her face. She sat tense in the saddle, eyes flicking about in every direction as she desperately tried to spot the owner of the strange voice.
"Do dwarves always talk to themselves?" A new voice, slightly lower than the first, but with the same musical quality, piped up, this time from behind her. Instantly she whirled around, trying to spot where it came from. Still no luck.
"Who… who are you?" Every bit of effort she possessed went into keeping her voice as steady as possible. She mustn't be made a fool of. For the honor of her people, she mustn't.
"We should be the ones asking that, dwarf," came the reply. Kahli stifled a heavy sigh. So much for not being made a fool of.
But before this thought could even finish registering, figures suddenly materialized all around her, forming a loose, yet secure circle. They simply formed, the trees' shadows taking a tangible structure, it seemed. Indeed, they almost seemed to be the very creation of nature itself. Each one was tall, impossibly so, and slim. Willowy, like tree branches, yet supple as well. All were clad in colors of the forest: greys, greens, browns. And all had like colors for eyes, as well as surprisingly straight hair. That was blond, nonetheless.
She couldn't help herself. Kahli stared openly at those surrounding her, jaw hanging slack and eyes wide in amazement. Lucky thing her hood covered the complete shock that likely showed on her face. But never before had she seen people like these! Why, they were exactly the opposite of her own people. Astoundingly strange and even… dare she say it? Ugly. Well, yes. It was true. So weak they appeared, so pale and sickly. Nothing compared to the sturdy, muscular build of her own people.
And then, in an instant, she understood. Elves. These were elves! She had heard tales before, whispered legends, horrors, wistful memories. So much talk of this strange race, and she remembered all she had before heard. They were exactly as she had imagined. Or at least, now that she saw them, they were. Perhaps she hadn't been able to envision with quite this detail, but they fit the descriptions. Perfectly.
Thoughts were suddenly whipping by in her mind, faster than she had ever thought possible. She was seeing elves! Real, live, in person! Dangerous, strange, mysterious. And she was completely alone. As well as weaponless.
Each one of them, at least five, she counted in front of her and at the sides, had bows. With arrows pointed directly at her. This suddenly didn't look so good.
There was a pause; not a single member of the circle moved a muscle. And then one spoke, quietly, hesitantly. "Pedathon, Gildur?" His Elvish seemed to blend with the silence, not a bit out of place, as was everything with this People. There was only a moment's hesitation, before a reply came, equally soft.
"Pedo."
From the ring stepped a tall elf, slightly younger in appearance than the others, though they were all astoundingly young looking, with lighter- tinted brown hair instead of the usual pale blond. He held his head high as he stepped forward, any unsureness disappearing as he faced the dwarf with an almost cocky confidence, staring down at her with dark green eyes. The gap left behind was filled in one smooth motion as his fellows adjusted accordingly. Then once more, nothing moved. Long minutes passed and Kahli grew anxious, trying her very best not to falter under the harsh stares of those on all sides of her. Their arrows were still held at the ready and she dared not make any sudden moves.
"What brings you forth, off the road and into our lands, Dwarf?" The elf directly before her asked suddenly, voice calm and smooth. Kazor tossed his mane impatiently and she gathered his reins tighter, fiddling with them as she prepared an answer.
"I… I'm searching for some runaway ponies. We were attacked on the road and need to leave swiftly, else another attack comes…" She struggled to keep her voice even, to hold back the tremor of fear that threatened to enter it. So many tales told of the elves. They were dangerous.
"Then why do you not move on and leave your beasts of burden behind? If you are indeed in so great a hurry as you suggest," the speaker shot back, not missing a beat. If she didn't know any better, she'd think he was getting some sort of amusement out of interrogating her like this. Her jaw set angrily.
"Without those ponies there is no way be can move at all, let alone quickly!" Kahli snapped, very tempted to add some extra comments. Most of which would be rather rude, at the moment. She refrained from saying such things and instead continued, "Our caravan contains many valuable things. They are our livelihood. If we are forced to leave them behind, as we would have to do if our ponies were not retrieved, we would all starve!" Fear was momentarily forgotten and she muttered an addition to this under her breath, "What would you know of our ways, anyway?"
There was a long silence as the elves gazed at her with terrifyingly piercing stares. She couldn't help but feel that they could somehow see past her hood and had seen both the fear and the anger on her face. It seemed to her they heard every slight shake in her voice, every unsure pause, every murmured comment. They somehow knew all and were judging her.
So these were elves. Strange creatures, one with everything, knowing everything, intense and watchful. They were silent, mocking, infuriating, prying… But what of the other part she had heard of? Tales of how dangerous these People were had been told, but in equal abundance, tales of their over-cheerfulness had been told of as well. Although, Kahli thought to herself, those tales were from long ago. Back when the world was far younger and the Men weren't multiplying as rapidly and the Elves were the dominant race. Before the famed War of the Ring, before even the esteemed Thorin, the Heir of Durin, had gone to seek out his fortune, stolen by the dread dragon Smaug. Now the race of Elves was diminishing and, she supposed, had less to be merry about. Though that was perhaps the only thing she had ever really wanted to see about this strange race, their merriment. She certainly wasn't seeing it now.
Fond they seemed of silence and long pauses. Acting and speaking slowly, like they had all the time in the world. Perhaps they did. She wouldn't put it passed them; they seemed like they were capable of just about everything, despite their far from sturdy appearance.
They stared at her, no fewer than seven pairs of eyes trained on her. No less than sever bows. She trembled, despite herself. Unnerving it was. Even her father wouldn't be able to hold under such pressure, she thought to herself, and he was very strong, to be sure.
Kazor whiffed impatiently and tossed his head a little, pawing the ground. He peered at the elves from under his heavy forelock and flicked his ears irritably, chomping the bit. Rather than think about how many of her people's worst enemies were surrounding her, staring, she focused on the edgy pony, shifting her weight a little and trying to keep him from picking up her nervousness. That wouldn't help things any, his getting even more anxious.
Finally the first elf, the one she guessed to be the leader of the group, spoke. His voice was low and quiet; she could barely catch the words. And even then, she could understand not a word of it. But it seemed to have been an order, as two more elves stepped forward and took places next to the younger-looking elf. Then, in the blink of an eye, the others disappeared, leaving not a trace that they were ever there.
Kahli found herself staring into the depths of the forest after them, trying fruitlessly to figure out where the many elves had suddenly gone. Not into thin air, of course. But then… where? She shifted nervously in the saddle as a thought surfaced above the others. Maybe her father was wrong. Maybe it was possible to disappear into thin air. These were elves, after all. Who knew?
And then she was jerked back to the present. Where three elves remained, watching her closely with eyes that reminded her strangely of those deep, mysterious lakes they sometimes passed. Lakes that always seemed to be hiding something. Shaking herself once more, she addressed them as bravely as possible.
"Uh… can I help you?" Her voice trembled and her choice of words was pathetic. Silently, she cursed herself. Get a grip! Was this the best she could do?
"A better question might be, how might we help you?" Replied the darker- haired elf, corners of his mouth turning up to suggest some sort of amusement. At her, probably, she thought in annoyance before pushing it back once more.
"Help me? Why would you want to do that?"
"You said you were seeking out your ponies. We are here to assist you."
Oh, well, that wasn't so bad. All they wanted to do was help, after all. And it might get the job done twice as fast if they were along. Four pairs of eyes, experienced hunters and she had heard that these elves were expert trackers as well. That might come in usefu—
Hold it.
Kahli checked her thoughts abruptly. What on Middle-earth was she thinking?! These were elves she was talking about! Not another clan of dwarves, not the long-time friends of her people, the ravens, not even Men! Elves were the enemy! They were crafty, dangerous, unable to be trusted. Or so she had been told… But the elders were wise! They would know far better than she would, of course. She was young, very young. How was she to know the ways of other races? Yes, better to listen to the words of those far older and far more experienced. Not matter how wrong they seemed at the moment.
"Thank you, but no. I need no assistance," she responded to the offer, as politely as possible.
"It would be wise to accept, Dwarf." One of the lighter-haired elves spoke up, tone far more demanding than the first's. He spat the word 'dwarf' out like it was something incredibly foul.
Kahli's dark eyebrows rose beneath her hood. "Oh would I?" She snapped in return, not liking this one at all.
"We are not going to allow one of you roaming around our forest unsuper—" The unfriendly elf was cut off by the first with a sharp hand motion.
"Hold your tongue, Borran." He ordered harshly, dark green eyes narrowing at the other. "No one ask your opinion on the matter." At this, the one called Borran glowered angrily, bowing his head and taking a step back.
"As you wish, Teiledh." Any unpleasantness in this went ignored.
"Now," The first turned back to face her, face almost stressfully serious. "I apologize for Borran's rudeness, although he is indeed correct. I was hoping not to…" He trailed off for a moment, as if searching for the right words. This surprised Kahli notably. Weren't elves supposed to be extremely good at this sort of thing?
"Not to tell me?" She supplied, slightly insulted at the lack of being told straight-out. "So I'm not allowed to pass without a guard, then? You should have just said so."
"I should have…" Teiledh stared at her, the important ring in his voice suddenly lost. In a jolt of shock and more than a little amusement, Kahli noted that he seemed almost flustered. Or as close to it as an elf could get. His strangely smooth, straight jaw set firmly and looked as though he was trying to regain his composure. She managed to catch a quick grin from the elf on his right, though it was quickly covered up and he moved forward a little, offering support. Seemed those two were friends. Just the same, she wasn't about to let him catch himself and keep bashing on her. Before his friend's backup presence could help, she spoke up.
"Look, I'm wasting time. Are you three going to guard me, or what?" A tiny grin was forming on her face and now more than ever she loved her hooded cloak. Her hands shifted a little on Kazor's reins and the black pony tensed beneath her, ready to move off at the slightest command.
But the elf managed to collect himself quicker than she had expected, attitude and all. "The offer still stands," he lifted his shoulders as he spoke, standing up straighter and doing his little importance act again. "Would you prefer guards or help?"
Oh. So elves were a little better at this than she had assumed. He had her there. She paused, trying frantically to think up a witty reply. None came. Instead, she decided rather bravely, she wouldn't reply at all. Let him come back from that.
With a soft cluck to her pony, who whirled about and started off into the woods eagerly, Kahli rode off to resume her search. If they wanted to guard her so badly they could just catch her, she thought as she leaned over Kazor's black mane, leaving the three elves far behind.
Or so she thought.