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Everlasting Road ch. 20
Liria strode back into the front hall of Thranduil's palace. She had changed into the traditional green and brown hunting clothes and had grabbed her weapons. Liria intended to only glance inside and then leave promptly, but much to her disappointment, Gimli stood clothed and ready to go. Liria said nothing, nor did Gimli, they simply turned and went out the door together. Thranduil hailed them as they left, nodding his consent. Liria and Gimli bowed in return before continuing on.
It was not until the pair had been traveling in silence for some time and had already reached the borders of Mirkwood when Gimli finally spoke up. "I do not see why you insist on coming along, since it was probably because of you that Legolas left."
Liria glanced at him coldly, her eyes an ice blue, "My concern for Legolas overrides my disdain for you, and I highly doubt I was the one to cause his pain. If anybody should be looking for him, it should be me, as I know these woods better than anybody, and you have no tracking skills." A sly grin came over Liria's face, "But tell me, dear dwarf, is it your selfishness that makes you desire to seek for him alone, or the fact that your concern for him is not pertinent. For if you truly cared for him, you would see that the best chance of finding him is me."
Gimli flamed. He opened his mouth to fire back at her, but closed it again futilely. He sputtered in indignation and stomped about, picking up his pace, his back to Liria. Liria smirked and followed the dwarf, slackening her pace so that she did not have to walk too closely.
They were now outside of Mirkwood, and Liria was bent close to the trail, searching for any signs that Legolas had gone this way. Gimli stood off to the side, tapping his foot impatiently. Liria glanced up at him, then back down to the ground, a small smile on her face, taking even more pains to read everything in the grass.
Gimli could stand it no longer, "If I did not know any better, which I think that I do not, I would think that you are taking your time to spite me. But if you care for Legolas, as you claim to, then you would not be wasting any time. We need to find him quickly, and your lagging is starting to tell."
Liria stood, staring down at Gimli, "I am not wasting time. I am searching for a trail, which is a wise thing to do so that one does not start off in the wrong direction and thus lose time that way. Your interruptions are not helping."
Gimli quieted as Liria bent again. He sighed loudly when she spanned her search, spreading her hands and taking in more land. Liria rolled her eyes, but kept searching. Gimli was right, she had to admit, she did not want to waste any time. Because although there were not any tracks from Legolas, there were faint wolf tracks, probably from a couple of weeks ago. The tracks were large and many, multiple wargs. Liria stood and searched the ground in a wide circle, her vision taking in a large distance. She finally saw something that interested her in the distance and went to it. She bent again and straightened immediately.
She turned back to Gimli, "He went this way," was all she said, and started off. Gimli started to follow, walking briskly, but not too briskly, and he was unable to keep up with her without effort anyway. Sine he was not particularly concerned about keeping with her, Gimli allowed Liria to get far ahead of him. But she seemed to be able to sense what he was trying to do and slowed slightly. She was still far ahead of him, but she remained at a constant pace that did not permit her out of his sight. And thus they spent most of the day in this fashion.
Hours passed, and still no sight of Legolas. And his trail seemed to have been lost. Once again Liria knelt close to the ground with Gimli standing to the side. Gimli was extremely frustrated. What had meant to be a simple, fast mission was turning into a drawn out ordeal, and he had to spend the time with Liria of all people.
Gimli's frustration got the better of him and he finally spoke up, "I thought you were supposed to be a great tracker that knew this forest like the back of your hand. Where is that greatness now, for I have yet to witness any of it."
"And what of you, dwarf?" Liria answered back, not even bothering to stand up, "what great services of yours have you offered? There is yet to be any fruit from your labors."
Gimli stepped closer to her, his hand twitching at his newly rehandled axe. "I could have found him by now if I did not have to keep waiting for you to decide on where to go."
Liria stood, causing Gimli to halt in his advance. "I have to keep stopping because it is very hard to track an elf. I would not expect you to know anything of it, since your idea of stealth is to not breathe with your mouth open."
Gimli drew his axe, "I will not put up with this impudence any longer."
Liria drew a long dagger from its sheath at her waist, "And I will not put up with your asinine comments and continuous interruptions. It is no wonder I cannot track him with no chances to focus due to a dwarf who offers no help and should not have come out here in the first place."
Gimli let out a small scream and slammed the axe into the earth in front of him. Liria started at his unexpected movement and her dagger arm slashed out on an impulse. The dagger sliced into the top of Gimli's axe arm. When Liria withdrew, she was hardly aware of what she had done. Gimli himself, so unexpected and quick her movements had been, stood awkwardly. He finally touched his upper arm with his free hand, and found blood when he withdrew it. Gimli stared at Liria, who was breathing heavily and staring at her dagger, tainted with a few drops of blood. Liria finally met Gimli's gaze, and her expression was unreadable. One thing was certain to Gimli, there was no remorse in that look.
"That is it for you, my lady," Gimli said and turned gruffly, grabbing his axe on the roundabout. He then marched stiffly away, not much caring which way he was going, but still intent on finding Legolas. Liria still stood, alone. Her dagger was still held out, and she looked at it in a kind of wonder. What had she done? What had she been thinking? Had things really gotten that out of control? Liria distractedly shook the blade, letting the blood fall, and resheathed it. She then shook her head, wishing to clear it, and bent back down to the earth. Her only purpose right now was to find Legolas, especially before the dwarf did.
Everlasting Road ch. 20
Liria strode back into the front hall of Thranduil's palace. She had changed into the traditional green and brown hunting clothes and had grabbed her weapons. Liria intended to only glance inside and then leave promptly, but much to her disappointment, Gimli stood clothed and ready to go. Liria said nothing, nor did Gimli, they simply turned and went out the door together. Thranduil hailed them as they left, nodding his consent. Liria and Gimli bowed in return before continuing on.
It was not until the pair had been traveling in silence for some time and had already reached the borders of Mirkwood when Gimli finally spoke up. "I do not see why you insist on coming along, since it was probably because of you that Legolas left."
Liria glanced at him coldly, her eyes an ice blue, "My concern for Legolas overrides my disdain for you, and I highly doubt I was the one to cause his pain. If anybody should be looking for him, it should be me, as I know these woods better than anybody, and you have no tracking skills." A sly grin came over Liria's face, "But tell me, dear dwarf, is it your selfishness that makes you desire to seek for him alone, or the fact that your concern for him is not pertinent. For if you truly cared for him, you would see that the best chance of finding him is me."
Gimli flamed. He opened his mouth to fire back at her, but closed it again futilely. He sputtered in indignation and stomped about, picking up his pace, his back to Liria. Liria smirked and followed the dwarf, slackening her pace so that she did not have to walk too closely.
They were now outside of Mirkwood, and Liria was bent close to the trail, searching for any signs that Legolas had gone this way. Gimli stood off to the side, tapping his foot impatiently. Liria glanced up at him, then back down to the ground, a small smile on her face, taking even more pains to read everything in the grass.
Gimli could stand it no longer, "If I did not know any better, which I think that I do not, I would think that you are taking your time to spite me. But if you care for Legolas, as you claim to, then you would not be wasting any time. We need to find him quickly, and your lagging is starting to tell."
Liria stood, staring down at Gimli, "I am not wasting time. I am searching for a trail, which is a wise thing to do so that one does not start off in the wrong direction and thus lose time that way. Your interruptions are not helping."
Gimli quieted as Liria bent again. He sighed loudly when she spanned her search, spreading her hands and taking in more land. Liria rolled her eyes, but kept searching. Gimli was right, she had to admit, she did not want to waste any time. Because although there were not any tracks from Legolas, there were faint wolf tracks, probably from a couple of weeks ago. The tracks were large and many, multiple wargs. Liria stood and searched the ground in a wide circle, her vision taking in a large distance. She finally saw something that interested her in the distance and went to it. She bent again and straightened immediately.
She turned back to Gimli, "He went this way," was all she said, and started off. Gimli started to follow, walking briskly, but not too briskly, and he was unable to keep up with her without effort anyway. Sine he was not particularly concerned about keeping with her, Gimli allowed Liria to get far ahead of him. But she seemed to be able to sense what he was trying to do and slowed slightly. She was still far ahead of him, but she remained at a constant pace that did not permit her out of his sight. And thus they spent most of the day in this fashion.
Hours passed, and still no sight of Legolas. And his trail seemed to have been lost. Once again Liria knelt close to the ground with Gimli standing to the side. Gimli was extremely frustrated. What had meant to be a simple, fast mission was turning into a drawn out ordeal, and he had to spend the time with Liria of all people.
Gimli's frustration got the better of him and he finally spoke up, "I thought you were supposed to be a great tracker that knew this forest like the back of your hand. Where is that greatness now, for I have yet to witness any of it."
"And what of you, dwarf?" Liria answered back, not even bothering to stand up, "what great services of yours have you offered? There is yet to be any fruit from your labors."
Gimli stepped closer to her, his hand twitching at his newly rehandled axe. "I could have found him by now if I did not have to keep waiting for you to decide on where to go."
Liria stood, causing Gimli to halt in his advance. "I have to keep stopping because it is very hard to track an elf. I would not expect you to know anything of it, since your idea of stealth is to not breathe with your mouth open."
Gimli drew his axe, "I will not put up with this impudence any longer."
Liria drew a long dagger from its sheath at her waist, "And I will not put up with your asinine comments and continuous interruptions. It is no wonder I cannot track him with no chances to focus due to a dwarf who offers no help and should not have come out here in the first place."
Gimli let out a small scream and slammed the axe into the earth in front of him. Liria started at his unexpected movement and her dagger arm slashed out on an impulse. The dagger sliced into the top of Gimli's axe arm. When Liria withdrew, she was hardly aware of what she had done. Gimli himself, so unexpected and quick her movements had been, stood awkwardly. He finally touched his upper arm with his free hand, and found blood when he withdrew it. Gimli stared at Liria, who was breathing heavily and staring at her dagger, tainted with a few drops of blood. Liria finally met Gimli's gaze, and her expression was unreadable. One thing was certain to Gimli, there was no remorse in that look.
"That is it for you, my lady," Gimli said and turned gruffly, grabbing his axe on the roundabout. He then marched stiffly away, not much caring which way he was going, but still intent on finding Legolas. Liria still stood, alone. Her dagger was still held out, and she looked at it in a kind of wonder. What had she done? What had she been thinking? Had things really gotten that out of control? Liria distractedly shook the blade, letting the blood fall, and resheathed it. She then shook her head, wishing to clear it, and bent back down to the earth. Her only purpose right now was to find Legolas, especially before the dwarf did.