Chapter 2
Strider and Kareswan had been riding for some hours now. They had passed the lonely land as silent silhouettes, shadows in the dark land. The moon moved out from behind the clouds covering the land with a silvery light. They had crossed the river Mitheithel, which now lay on their right. Strider continued to ride with the river, Kareswan followed.
After going on like this for minutes on end Strider pulled his horse beside Kareswan. He did not say anything until the Mitheithel turned east. Kareswan was determined not to let him make her uncomfortable but he was too silent for her liking.
'Why do you not question where we are going?' he asked eventually 'Are you not afraid?'
'My horse seems to trust you, therefore I must too,' she replied 'he will not stray from your path, I have tried.'
'Putting trust in a horse may lead to your destruction, I may have enchanted him, and you would know no better.'
Kareswan looked at him in shock only to see that he was laughing. 'Why do you wish to fill my mind with doubt?'
Smiling, Strider replied 'your horse has a good sense of character, he knows I will not harm you'
'Then I will ask you for the first time, where are you taking me, dear sir?'
'To Rivendell, my dear maiden, to the house of the elves.' With that he fell silent and remained so until they stopped for the night.
Kareswan had been sleeping for some time now when Strider shook her awake. As she sat up an arrow whistled past her left ear and she yelped. 'Orcs' whispered Strider, 'stay down.' With that he straightened up and unsheathed his sword.
They were surrounded on all sides by vile looking creatures. Kareswan had never seen an orc before now and she wished never to do so again. She kept as close to the ground as possible as she watched Strider hew down every orc in his path. Orcs scattered at the sight of his wrath, afraid for themselves, leaving their own to die. Kareswan took a deep breath but caught herself as she saw an orc emerge from the shadows, and creep slowly to the unsuspecting Strider, who was still fighting off the orcs he could see.
Kareswan saw the orcs intention. It was going to strangle Strider from behind. She couldn't just sit and watched; she had sat still long enough. Kareswan looked around and spotted Striders bow and quiver on the ground. She knew what she must do. Hesitating, she reached over, picked up the bow and strung an arrow, her hands shaking wildly. Just as the orc wound it's long fingers round Striders neck, she aimed and loosed the arrow. It soared through the air and came into contact with the orcs' flesh, piercing it. The orc dropped down dead as Strider gasped for breath looking from the dead orc to the bow in Kareswan's hand, with a look of bewilderment on his face.
'You loosed that arrow as one who had done so many a time' he said.
'My father was a good teacher' Kareswan replied still holding the bow.
'We shall see how well he taught his daughter' he said, recovering from the attack and pointing he continued, 'Do you see that tree, the one with the gnarled roots.'
'Yes, I see.'
'Shoot it!'
'I do not understand'
'I wish to see how well your father has taught you.'
'Do you doubt my father?' she snapped, not at all in the mood to have to prove herself, 'Did you not see that orc that I killed?'
Yes, Kareswan, I did, but how far and how well can you shoot?' Strider replied, ' The orc was no more than four yards away, the tree is almost thrice that.'
The moon was behind a cloud so Strider could not see the look that Kareswan was wearing and Kareswan could not see that Strider was wearing an amused smile. But with no further words, she strung the bow for a second time, aimed and loosed. The arrow hit the tree Strider had pointed to. Kareswan smiled.
'A little shaky' Strider said.
Kareswan's smile disappeared.
'If it were not for shaky, you would not be standing here.'
Strider said nothing to this but after some time spoke again. 'Very well, you shall keep the bow and arrow and now you can protect yourself. We are but a days ride from Rivendell and I wish not to spend more time outside its borders than necessary, so we will not wait for night to set off again. Take a little rest, we shall depart at dawn.'
Strider and Kareswan had been riding for some hours now. They had passed the lonely land as silent silhouettes, shadows in the dark land. The moon moved out from behind the clouds covering the land with a silvery light. They had crossed the river Mitheithel, which now lay on their right. Strider continued to ride with the river, Kareswan followed.
After going on like this for minutes on end Strider pulled his horse beside Kareswan. He did not say anything until the Mitheithel turned east. Kareswan was determined not to let him make her uncomfortable but he was too silent for her liking.
'Why do you not question where we are going?' he asked eventually 'Are you not afraid?'
'My horse seems to trust you, therefore I must too,' she replied 'he will not stray from your path, I have tried.'
'Putting trust in a horse may lead to your destruction, I may have enchanted him, and you would know no better.'
Kareswan looked at him in shock only to see that he was laughing. 'Why do you wish to fill my mind with doubt?'
Smiling, Strider replied 'your horse has a good sense of character, he knows I will not harm you'
'Then I will ask you for the first time, where are you taking me, dear sir?'
'To Rivendell, my dear maiden, to the house of the elves.' With that he fell silent and remained so until they stopped for the night.
Kareswan had been sleeping for some time now when Strider shook her awake. As she sat up an arrow whistled past her left ear and she yelped. 'Orcs' whispered Strider, 'stay down.' With that he straightened up and unsheathed his sword.
They were surrounded on all sides by vile looking creatures. Kareswan had never seen an orc before now and she wished never to do so again. She kept as close to the ground as possible as she watched Strider hew down every orc in his path. Orcs scattered at the sight of his wrath, afraid for themselves, leaving their own to die. Kareswan took a deep breath but caught herself as she saw an orc emerge from the shadows, and creep slowly to the unsuspecting Strider, who was still fighting off the orcs he could see.
Kareswan saw the orcs intention. It was going to strangle Strider from behind. She couldn't just sit and watched; she had sat still long enough. Kareswan looked around and spotted Striders bow and quiver on the ground. She knew what she must do. Hesitating, she reached over, picked up the bow and strung an arrow, her hands shaking wildly. Just as the orc wound it's long fingers round Striders neck, she aimed and loosed the arrow. It soared through the air and came into contact with the orcs' flesh, piercing it. The orc dropped down dead as Strider gasped for breath looking from the dead orc to the bow in Kareswan's hand, with a look of bewilderment on his face.
'You loosed that arrow as one who had done so many a time' he said.
'My father was a good teacher' Kareswan replied still holding the bow.
'We shall see how well he taught his daughter' he said, recovering from the attack and pointing he continued, 'Do you see that tree, the one with the gnarled roots.'
'Yes, I see.'
'Shoot it!'
'I do not understand'
'I wish to see how well your father has taught you.'
'Do you doubt my father?' she snapped, not at all in the mood to have to prove herself, 'Did you not see that orc that I killed?'
Yes, Kareswan, I did, but how far and how well can you shoot?' Strider replied, ' The orc was no more than four yards away, the tree is almost thrice that.'
The moon was behind a cloud so Strider could not see the look that Kareswan was wearing and Kareswan could not see that Strider was wearing an amused smile. But with no further words, she strung the bow for a second time, aimed and loosed. The arrow hit the tree Strider had pointed to. Kareswan smiled.
'A little shaky' Strider said.
Kareswan's smile disappeared.
'If it were not for shaky, you would not be standing here.'
Strider said nothing to this but after some time spoke again. 'Very well, you shall keep the bow and arrow and now you can protect yourself. We are but a days ride from Rivendell and I wish not to spend more time outside its borders than necessary, so we will not wait for night to set off again. Take a little rest, we shall depart at dawn.'