Chapter 10: Oh How Far You Are From Home .
Gashdug ran through a small forest just outside of Mirkwood, he was breathing heavily as he had been running most of that night and it was now very early in the morning. He covered the ground with remarkable speed. He entered into a large clearing; the grass had been trodden to where it was nothing but mud and rock. A few Orcs were still left in Middle-Earth after the dark rein of Sauran was finally over, and the ring of power had been destroyed. All the orcs that did remain were in this small camp, Gashdug approached a beat-up black tent, and he burst inside.
"Snikag, Snikag I must speak with you!" breathed Gashdug.
The tall orc that had his back to him now turned slowly, Gashdug glanced at his stump where Snikag's arm had once been, then he turned his gaze back to Snikag's face.
"What is it Gashdug? You had better have a good reason to disturb me!" Growled Snikag.
Gashdug came closer.
"I have seen her" he hissed.
Snikag looked curiously at Gashdug. "Seen who?" he asked.
"The She-Elf, the one who took your arm, she is back, somehow, she has returned. I saw her with that Mirkwood Prince last night." Said Gashdug.
Snikag's eyes burned with hatred, he let out a low and menacing growl that made Gashdug flinch.
"Perhaps it is time to finish what we started." whispered Snikag, "Perhaps it is time to settle the scores." He laughed menacingly.
Aireromen awoke from her bed, she had only slept for at least an hour, she was not yet out of the habit of sleeping as humans did. It took her a moment to remember where she was. She stretched in her bed and looked to her balcony, there was a beautiful woven basket sitting on the rail, and inside were many flowers of all different colors. She could smell their sweet fragrance form here; she smiled, as she knew whom they were from. She rose from her bed and came to the balcony, still wearing the dress she had dinned in last night. She took the basket from the rail; she examined the flowers and then brought them inside. She places them in a vase on the table in her room, she watched the flowers for a moment then went back to the balcony again and watched the morning sun slowly come up.
The door to her room opened and she turned to look.
"Good morning." Came Legolas's voice.
Aireromen smiled and walked to him, a look of surprise and pleasure came to Legolas's face when she kissed him.
"Thank you" she whispered into his ear.
Legolas grinned and kissed her cheek.
"Your very welcome." He said.
He walked with her to a desk where she sat in a chair and Legolas upon the floor in front of her.
"Aire, Gandalf has asked me to speak with you." He finally said.
"Yes?" replied Aireromen "About what?"
"He says, that if you are up to it, that is, if you feel you can stand it, that we should leave for Lothlorien this morning. We would reach there by evening, as we would travel fast. Gandalf has sent a letter to Lady Galadriel informing her of your arrival. She wishes desperately to see you." Said Legolas, looking up at her.
Aireromen sat quite still for a moment, a smile then slowly appeared upon her fair elvish face.
"Of corse I wish to go!" she exclaimed.
Legolas smiled and arose from the floor. "I will go and tell Gandalf then." He said, he kissed her hand and turned to leave.
"Legolas" said Aireromen.
Legolas turned to face her. "Yes Aire?"
"You will come with me, won't you?" she asked.
Legolas smiled, "If you wish it of me Aire, then I will come." He answered.
Aire nodded in agreement.
"Then I will come." He said, he kissed her hand and left the room.
Aire could hardly wait for Legolas to come back; she paced the room waiting for him to return with the answer. Finally after what seemed like an eternity Legolas knocked on the door and entered.
"We will leave in an hour." He said to her. For elves wasted no time in leaving, and traveled light so there was not much to pack.
"I will leave you to change if you wish," he said.
Aireromen nodded and Legolas turned and went to the door again.
"I will tell Dalmark to prepare our horses." He said as he opened the door to leave.
"Are you sure that is wise?" said Aireromen.
"What do you mean?" asked Legolas.
"How will they be able to saddle Morwing without loosing a limb or damaging an organ?" Aireromen said with a smile.
"Well my princess, you may have to do that yourself then won't you?" Legolas chuckled and slowly shut the door behind him.
Aireromen dressed quickly, she put on gray elf pants, and slipped on soft elvish boots suitable for traveling in, she wore a white long sleeved shirt with puffy wrists. She tied her hair back much in the same fashion as Legolas's.
Since she was now ready to leave, and had no need to pack, Aireromen left her room and made her way through the palace and out into the court yard. She walked to the stables to prepare Morwing herself, she did not know exactly where he would be, he could never be contained. The elves left the door to his stall unlocked and open so as to allow him to go in and out as he pleased. She entered into the stables only to see a great commotion; Morwing had the young stable hand, Dalmark, cornered in the far end of the stable. He pawed the ground and his eyes flamed, he let out a shrill and deadly neigh. He reared and his front hooves lashed out like daggers, if they were to come down, they would kill the young elf boy.
"Morwing! Lasto beth nin! Tolo!" Aireromen yelled above the horse's maddened shrieks.
Morwing's ears swept sideways at the sound of her voice, he came down, his hooves barely missing the young stable boy. He turned full to Aireromen and held his head high as he walked with ears perked forward to her. The fire in his heart was for the time again calm.
Aireromen stroked the powerful black neck; she looked to the young elf, who was now slowly coming away from the wall.
"Are you alright?" she asked him.
The elf boy said nothing.
Aireromen calmly told Morwing to stay and walked to the little elf. She knelt down and gently grabbed his arm, she saw the open wound, a bite mark, angry and bruised, and was also bleeding. Her eyes softened and she looked into the big green eyes of the little blonde elf that stared back at her. She smiled and took a cloth from her pocket, she took the little elf to a water bucket and washed the wound with her hands, she then dried it and kissed the wound. She wrapped the wound with the cloth and tied it neatly; she smiled lovingly at the round little face, and kissed his forehead. Dalmark smiled wide and giggled a little at the kiss.
She whispered in his ear, "Why don't you go play? Hmmm? I'll prepare the horses. Go on!"
"Okay" came the small childish voice of Dalmark.
Aireromen stood up and looked down at him as he hugged her around the hips, as that was as high as he could reach. She playfully ruffled his blond hair and watched him leave.
"It's good to have you back with us my Lady!" Dalmark said before he skipped off out of sight.
Gashdug ran through a small forest just outside of Mirkwood, he was breathing heavily as he had been running most of that night and it was now very early in the morning. He covered the ground with remarkable speed. He entered into a large clearing; the grass had been trodden to where it was nothing but mud and rock. A few Orcs were still left in Middle-Earth after the dark rein of Sauran was finally over, and the ring of power had been destroyed. All the orcs that did remain were in this small camp, Gashdug approached a beat-up black tent, and he burst inside.
"Snikag, Snikag I must speak with you!" breathed Gashdug.
The tall orc that had his back to him now turned slowly, Gashdug glanced at his stump where Snikag's arm had once been, then he turned his gaze back to Snikag's face.
"What is it Gashdug? You had better have a good reason to disturb me!" Growled Snikag.
Gashdug came closer.
"I have seen her" he hissed.
Snikag looked curiously at Gashdug. "Seen who?" he asked.
"The She-Elf, the one who took your arm, she is back, somehow, she has returned. I saw her with that Mirkwood Prince last night." Said Gashdug.
Snikag's eyes burned with hatred, he let out a low and menacing growl that made Gashdug flinch.
"Perhaps it is time to finish what we started." whispered Snikag, "Perhaps it is time to settle the scores." He laughed menacingly.
Aireromen awoke from her bed, she had only slept for at least an hour, she was not yet out of the habit of sleeping as humans did. It took her a moment to remember where she was. She stretched in her bed and looked to her balcony, there was a beautiful woven basket sitting on the rail, and inside were many flowers of all different colors. She could smell their sweet fragrance form here; she smiled, as she knew whom they were from. She rose from her bed and came to the balcony, still wearing the dress she had dinned in last night. She took the basket from the rail; she examined the flowers and then brought them inside. She places them in a vase on the table in her room, she watched the flowers for a moment then went back to the balcony again and watched the morning sun slowly come up.
The door to her room opened and she turned to look.
"Good morning." Came Legolas's voice.
Aireromen smiled and walked to him, a look of surprise and pleasure came to Legolas's face when she kissed him.
"Thank you" she whispered into his ear.
Legolas grinned and kissed her cheek.
"Your very welcome." He said.
He walked with her to a desk where she sat in a chair and Legolas upon the floor in front of her.
"Aire, Gandalf has asked me to speak with you." He finally said.
"Yes?" replied Aireromen "About what?"
"He says, that if you are up to it, that is, if you feel you can stand it, that we should leave for Lothlorien this morning. We would reach there by evening, as we would travel fast. Gandalf has sent a letter to Lady Galadriel informing her of your arrival. She wishes desperately to see you." Said Legolas, looking up at her.
Aireromen sat quite still for a moment, a smile then slowly appeared upon her fair elvish face.
"Of corse I wish to go!" she exclaimed.
Legolas smiled and arose from the floor. "I will go and tell Gandalf then." He said, he kissed her hand and turned to leave.
"Legolas" said Aireromen.
Legolas turned to face her. "Yes Aire?"
"You will come with me, won't you?" she asked.
Legolas smiled, "If you wish it of me Aire, then I will come." He answered.
Aire nodded in agreement.
"Then I will come." He said, he kissed her hand and left the room.
Aire could hardly wait for Legolas to come back; she paced the room waiting for him to return with the answer. Finally after what seemed like an eternity Legolas knocked on the door and entered.
"We will leave in an hour." He said to her. For elves wasted no time in leaving, and traveled light so there was not much to pack.
"I will leave you to change if you wish," he said.
Aireromen nodded and Legolas turned and went to the door again.
"I will tell Dalmark to prepare our horses." He said as he opened the door to leave.
"Are you sure that is wise?" said Aireromen.
"What do you mean?" asked Legolas.
"How will they be able to saddle Morwing without loosing a limb or damaging an organ?" Aireromen said with a smile.
"Well my princess, you may have to do that yourself then won't you?" Legolas chuckled and slowly shut the door behind him.
Aireromen dressed quickly, she put on gray elf pants, and slipped on soft elvish boots suitable for traveling in, she wore a white long sleeved shirt with puffy wrists. She tied her hair back much in the same fashion as Legolas's.
Since she was now ready to leave, and had no need to pack, Aireromen left her room and made her way through the palace and out into the court yard. She walked to the stables to prepare Morwing herself, she did not know exactly where he would be, he could never be contained. The elves left the door to his stall unlocked and open so as to allow him to go in and out as he pleased. She entered into the stables only to see a great commotion; Morwing had the young stable hand, Dalmark, cornered in the far end of the stable. He pawed the ground and his eyes flamed, he let out a shrill and deadly neigh. He reared and his front hooves lashed out like daggers, if they were to come down, they would kill the young elf boy.
"Morwing! Lasto beth nin! Tolo!" Aireromen yelled above the horse's maddened shrieks.
Morwing's ears swept sideways at the sound of her voice, he came down, his hooves barely missing the young stable boy. He turned full to Aireromen and held his head high as he walked with ears perked forward to her. The fire in his heart was for the time again calm.
Aireromen stroked the powerful black neck; she looked to the young elf, who was now slowly coming away from the wall.
"Are you alright?" she asked him.
The elf boy said nothing.
Aireromen calmly told Morwing to stay and walked to the little elf. She knelt down and gently grabbed his arm, she saw the open wound, a bite mark, angry and bruised, and was also bleeding. Her eyes softened and she looked into the big green eyes of the little blonde elf that stared back at her. She smiled and took a cloth from her pocket, she took the little elf to a water bucket and washed the wound with her hands, she then dried it and kissed the wound. She wrapped the wound with the cloth and tied it neatly; she smiled lovingly at the round little face, and kissed his forehead. Dalmark smiled wide and giggled a little at the kiss.
She whispered in his ear, "Why don't you go play? Hmmm? I'll prepare the horses. Go on!"
"Okay" came the small childish voice of Dalmark.
Aireromen stood up and looked down at him as he hugged her around the hips, as that was as high as he could reach. She playfully ruffled his blond hair and watched him leave.
"It's good to have you back with us my Lady!" Dalmark said before he skipped off out of sight.