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Oppression: Help
By Elentari
"Blast this confounded prison! Why have they not killed us or put us to slavery?!" Gimli spat. He picked up a stone and threw it to the other wall. Aragorn, now sick from lack of food and exhaustion, peered up at Gimli. They had been imprisoned for nearly two weeks.
"Perhaps they wish us to die without the answers we seek," the ranger said with a raspy tone. Gimli, comforted by his friend's will to live, calmed himself and sat beside him. Legolas did not move and indeed he had not for several hours and Aragorn, despite his own health, was worried that Legolas was ill or suffering from concussion. (After all, his skull was cracked open.)
"What troubles you, my friend?"
Legolas didn't say anything right off, but watched a small, white mouse scurry across the floor.
"This mouse. It is the only one," he said quietly, mesmerized. Gimli threw a pebble at it and it hissed, running faster to a crack in the wall. Aragorn, now realizing, turned to the elf.
"It's as though it frightened the others away…that or our captors keep a very clean dungeon."
"Precisely," Legolas whispered. He rose to his feet clumsily, for his head still bled freely at times and nothing had been done about it, and walked quietly to the wall where the mouse had disappeared to. When he looked closer, he saw that there was no crack in the wall where the rodent had vanished, but a small spider, clinging to the stone. He picked it up by the leg and carried it back to his companions.
"What's that you have?" Gimli snapped. He was still angry, but his curiosity got the better of him as he peered over the elf's shoulder.
"A spider, if that is what this being is. Are you different?" he asked the arachnid as it crawled over his smooth, calm hand. Gimli cringed and thought of what he would have done if a spider crept along his fingers.
"Of course that is a spider!" a voice said from above them. Legolas stood too quickly and immediately was overpowered by a great dizziness. He began to fall, but something caught him before he hit the ground.
"Who…what are you?" Aragorn asked, baffled. When the creature beside him lifted its head, he saw something that made him gasp in fright. A woman with the appearance of a goblin studied him. He reached subconsciously for the sword he knew was not at his side.
"I'm Ruma, at your service. Why do you tremble? I'm not that hideous," she stated, staring at Aragorn. He gulped as her eyes engulfed him. When he blinked, he noticed that she was different. Her eyes were the same, but her body was…beautiful. She looked nearly human except for an elven face, a tail, claws, and sharp canines she smiled widely with. Her body was absolutely covered with tattoos, but what they meant, Aragorn did not know. Gimli stood in a corner, gawking at the creature who knelt beside his close friend.
"Indeed, you are not…Ruma, that name is familiar," Aragorn pondered aloud. He dropped it as Legolas sat, clutching his forehead. The creature softened.
"Are you alright? Here, tilt your head forward," she said quietly. With unimaginable grace, grabbed some thread and a small needle.
"At our services? How? Who sent you?"
"Gandalf and Thranduil, the King of Northern Mirkwood. I am here to do as you bid and get you safely away from this city," she said, deep in thought as she stitched up Legolas' head. Ruma then opened a small vile (its contents think and black) and told them all to take but a sip, which warmed their arms and legs and cleared their minds as well as their bodies of any exhaustion or illness. She sat in a corner, watching them all.
"My father?" Legolas asked wearily. Even after drinking the substance he felt no change.
"Yes. That must not work on your kind. I've never used it on any but men, wizards, and myself," Ruma pointed out. She walked toward the miserable elf and sat beside him, crossing her legs. Her tail flickered slightly when Gimli brushed his hand against it.
"What is this?"
"My tail. What else would it be?" Ruma asked, irritably. Gimli grumbled and walked away, sitting on the other side of the cell.
"This substance?" Aragorn inquired, holding up the empty vile. Ruma shifted uncomfortably and looked at the ground.
"My blood. It's mixed with a weed from the southern cliffs of Mordor. That must be the problem! Here, drink this," she said, cutting her arm and holding to Legolas' mouth. He looked up at her with horror. "'Tis nothing! Drink!"
Legolas did drink and as he did, he grew stronger, sharper than he remembered ever being. Aragorn and Gimli watched in fascination.
"Your blood? I drank the blood of another being?!" Gimli shouted. He lashed out and yelled with anger. Surely his own blood was now taunted and corrupted.
"Quiet…they'll…hear you," Ruma said, sluggishly. Legolas realized that she traded their healths. He grabbed her before her head hit the ground and watched as the gash on her head (formerly his gash) disappear. Her eyes blinked open and she sat bolt upright.
"How…?"
"That…was not pleasant," Ruma said to herself. She shook her head as if to clear it of some dwindling pain and stood, all signs of illness or wound gone.
"You…are unlike anything I've ever seen!" Legolas exclaimed, looking at Ruma with a new light. Gimli looked away, still disgusted, and Aragorn sprang to his feet.
"I'm sure! Your father said, and this is a direct quote, 'it is hard to admit such a feeling as repulsion for any creature,' when he met me but five nights ago."
"No! You are, without a doubt, a beautiful creature!" Legolas awed. Ruma stared at him in shock and laughed quietly. Legolas, as well, laughed for the first time in over a century.
Gimli and Aragorn stood in the corner and away from Ruma and Legolas, shaking their heads.
"Instant attraction," said Aragorn.
"Obvious trouble," Gimli replied.
Oppression: Help
By Elentari
"Blast this confounded prison! Why have they not killed us or put us to slavery?!" Gimli spat. He picked up a stone and threw it to the other wall. Aragorn, now sick from lack of food and exhaustion, peered up at Gimli. They had been imprisoned for nearly two weeks.
"Perhaps they wish us to die without the answers we seek," the ranger said with a raspy tone. Gimli, comforted by his friend's will to live, calmed himself and sat beside him. Legolas did not move and indeed he had not for several hours and Aragorn, despite his own health, was worried that Legolas was ill or suffering from concussion. (After all, his skull was cracked open.)
"What troubles you, my friend?"
Legolas didn't say anything right off, but watched a small, white mouse scurry across the floor.
"This mouse. It is the only one," he said quietly, mesmerized. Gimli threw a pebble at it and it hissed, running faster to a crack in the wall. Aragorn, now realizing, turned to the elf.
"It's as though it frightened the others away…that or our captors keep a very clean dungeon."
"Precisely," Legolas whispered. He rose to his feet clumsily, for his head still bled freely at times and nothing had been done about it, and walked quietly to the wall where the mouse had disappeared to. When he looked closer, he saw that there was no crack in the wall where the rodent had vanished, but a small spider, clinging to the stone. He picked it up by the leg and carried it back to his companions.
"What's that you have?" Gimli snapped. He was still angry, but his curiosity got the better of him as he peered over the elf's shoulder.
"A spider, if that is what this being is. Are you different?" he asked the arachnid as it crawled over his smooth, calm hand. Gimli cringed and thought of what he would have done if a spider crept along his fingers.
"Of course that is a spider!" a voice said from above them. Legolas stood too quickly and immediately was overpowered by a great dizziness. He began to fall, but something caught him before he hit the ground.
"Who…what are you?" Aragorn asked, baffled. When the creature beside him lifted its head, he saw something that made him gasp in fright. A woman with the appearance of a goblin studied him. He reached subconsciously for the sword he knew was not at his side.
"I'm Ruma, at your service. Why do you tremble? I'm not that hideous," she stated, staring at Aragorn. He gulped as her eyes engulfed him. When he blinked, he noticed that she was different. Her eyes were the same, but her body was…beautiful. She looked nearly human except for an elven face, a tail, claws, and sharp canines she smiled widely with. Her body was absolutely covered with tattoos, but what they meant, Aragorn did not know. Gimli stood in a corner, gawking at the creature who knelt beside his close friend.
"Indeed, you are not…Ruma, that name is familiar," Aragorn pondered aloud. He dropped it as Legolas sat, clutching his forehead. The creature softened.
"Are you alright? Here, tilt your head forward," she said quietly. With unimaginable grace, grabbed some thread and a small needle.
"At our services? How? Who sent you?"
"Gandalf and Thranduil, the King of Northern Mirkwood. I am here to do as you bid and get you safely away from this city," she said, deep in thought as she stitched up Legolas' head. Ruma then opened a small vile (its contents think and black) and told them all to take but a sip, which warmed their arms and legs and cleared their minds as well as their bodies of any exhaustion or illness. She sat in a corner, watching them all.
"My father?" Legolas asked wearily. Even after drinking the substance he felt no change.
"Yes. That must not work on your kind. I've never used it on any but men, wizards, and myself," Ruma pointed out. She walked toward the miserable elf and sat beside him, crossing her legs. Her tail flickered slightly when Gimli brushed his hand against it.
"What is this?"
"My tail. What else would it be?" Ruma asked, irritably. Gimli grumbled and walked away, sitting on the other side of the cell.
"This substance?" Aragorn inquired, holding up the empty vile. Ruma shifted uncomfortably and looked at the ground.
"My blood. It's mixed with a weed from the southern cliffs of Mordor. That must be the problem! Here, drink this," she said, cutting her arm and holding to Legolas' mouth. He looked up at her with horror. "'Tis nothing! Drink!"
Legolas did drink and as he did, he grew stronger, sharper than he remembered ever being. Aragorn and Gimli watched in fascination.
"Your blood? I drank the blood of another being?!" Gimli shouted. He lashed out and yelled with anger. Surely his own blood was now taunted and corrupted.
"Quiet…they'll…hear you," Ruma said, sluggishly. Legolas realized that she traded their healths. He grabbed her before her head hit the ground and watched as the gash on her head (formerly his gash) disappear. Her eyes blinked open and she sat bolt upright.
"How…?"
"That…was not pleasant," Ruma said to herself. She shook her head as if to clear it of some dwindling pain and stood, all signs of illness or wound gone.
"You…are unlike anything I've ever seen!" Legolas exclaimed, looking at Ruma with a new light. Gimli looked away, still disgusted, and Aragorn sprang to his feet.
"I'm sure! Your father said, and this is a direct quote, 'it is hard to admit such a feeling as repulsion for any creature,' when he met me but five nights ago."
"No! You are, without a doubt, a beautiful creature!" Legolas awed. Ruma stared at him in shock and laughed quietly. Legolas, as well, laughed for the first time in over a century.
Gimli and Aragorn stood in the corner and away from Ruma and Legolas, shaking their heads.
"Instant attraction," said Aragorn.
"Obvious trouble," Gimli replied.