title: Shrouded Eyes of Green
author: Isabel DeVore
claims: I don't own what I didn't make up. What I did make up I own.
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Chapter Three: The Goblin King's Court
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And it is because of your doing nothing, Elf, that we are here.
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The faint sound of her voice was beautiful to the captive travelers. It sounded like an Autumn wind and no one expected something of it's quality to come out of the mouth of the grimy creature before them. But then again she was speaking in the tongue of men and anything other than crackling Orcish sounded better. Still no one responded to her.
Once again she spoke to them, a hint of force in her voice. "I said Hello. I am called Azuriel. Who are you and more importantly what are you doing in our lands?"
"Dear Azuriel, I am Legolas, this is Gimli, and these two are Pippin and Merry. We mean no harm to you or your lands. But if I may ask, what lands are we in?" Legolas asked the girl before him, staring at her with his blue eyes.
She shifted her weight from one leg to another as if suddenly uncomfortable with herself until she finally spoke. "You do not know where you are, Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood? How can you, an Elf, forget this place!?" Legolas only stood silent and Azuriel continued. "You honestly do not know...hmm. It matters not anyhow." Azuriel then turned to the orcs around her and spoke to them. "Listen ta them not! Bring 'em ta tha King as commanded! Quick like!" So off they all went again.
As they walked along the dark and narrow path to the Middle Yard where the King awaited Merry piped up. "So how long do you think we'll have to walk? My feet are already hurting!"
"Yeah, my feet hurt too! And what about some food! We're starving!" Pippin threw in.
"I don't think you'll be finding any food among the likes of these creatures. If anything we're about to become the main course at some tribal, magical, ceremony..." Gimli's gruff voice whispered.
"Ha. Do not flatter your self so. We would rather eat our own flesh before we even think of eating yours." Azuriel sneered and rolled her eyes.
"Then if you don't plan to eat us...then what are you going to do with us?!" A scared Merry squeaked out.
Azuriel shrugged. "I am not sure. Your fate is not mine to decide." For many moments on no one spoke to the prisoners and the prisoners did not speak to anyone. The orcs then became very sluggish as time wore on. Then Sketzal spoke.
"Wes make camp ere! Stop tha intruders o'er there! Give 'em not ta eat!" With Sketzal's orders in place the orcs herded the group over to a near by Furthurmoor tree to lean on for the evening. Five orcs were later placed by them to keep watch, while the multitude made camp. Soon fires were sprung up every so many orcs distance and the smell of something awful floated around the forest floor. After a few hours Azuriel came over to the captives' tree. In her hands she held wood and kindling. Kneeling before the imprisoned Legolas she began making a fire for the group.
Legolas spoke to her in Elvish. "How did you come to be here in this dark and desolate place?"
"I was born here. I have always lived here. Wait! How did you know I would understand you?" She replied back in his native tongue.
"Your name" he replied, "Is it not Elvish?"
"Unfortunately it is. At the time of my birth my father still had a liking for Elfs. But I am happy to say that time in his life has now ended." Azuriel spat at Legolas.
"Why do you hate me and my kind so? We have done nothing to humans or orcs!" Legolas questioned angrily.
Azuriel looked up into Legolas' blue eyes and starred at him with fury in her green ones. "We are NOT orcs! We are Goblins! And it is because of you doing nothing, Elf, that we are here."
"What do you mean?" Legolas' eyes flashed.
"Azuriel! Ye light this fire o'er ere! Get ta cook!" Sketzal shouted at his 'sister'. Obediently, she followed the orders given to her. Hours later when all had eaten, save the four intruders, Azuriel returned to the tree with a small black pot.
"What is that?" Pippin scrunched his nose at the substance in the pot.
"It is food." Azuriel handed the pot over to Gimli.
"Does not look like it." Gimli sneered.
"Doesn't smell like it either..." Merry whispered to Pippin.
Azuriel lowered her eyes at the three and they soon became quiet. "It is all we have, so eat it or starve. Be happy you get that at all, my brother did not see it fit to feed you."
"Then we are ever grateful to you, dear Azuriel." Legolas nodded his head in gratitude.
"You know, now that I think of it, it doesn't seem like it's that bad." Pippin chipped in.
"Uh yeah. Yeah! You know...um what's in it?" Merry asked.
Azuriel replied. "Barluk roots, Cookala thorns, and Slant Beetles."
"Slant Beetles?" Gimli questioned. "I have not seen Slant Beetles in all my life. I only heard about them from the Elder Dwarfs. How do you get to have Slant Beetles here?"
"They have always been here. We never would have even thought about eating them until recently..." Azuriel began but drifted off into her thoughts.
"Azuriel?" Legolas touched her shoulder in question.
Azuriel jumped up from her space on the ground. "Touch me not Elf! Stay from me as far as you can!"
"I meant you no harm!" He tried to explain but she ran from them as fast as her feet could carry her. In the morning the orcs called Goblins picked up the trail to the Middle Yard once again, but Azuriel was no where to be found. On and on the company drove until late that night they finally entered the Middle Yard.
When they entered, already before them in front of the masses of goblins stood the King and Queen. To their left was Azuriel surrounded by seven of what seemed to be Goblin offspring, Goloungs. With a raise of the Kings hand the crowd hushed.
"Me once people ear me again." The King cried. "Hate not these intruders! They h've come ta elp us!"
The crowd still it's hushed state then cheered like no other hunger has allowed. The four were then set free by Arhonol and Sketzal and led up into the palace. The King and Queen followed, then entered Azuriel and the seven Goloungs. Still not knowing what was going on the four heroes just stood in silence taking all that was going on.
The old King turned to the once captives and spoke to them in the language of men. "I have waited for what would seem an eternity for you to come and deliver us." The King's yellow eyes seemed to soften and grow sad. "Though I am afraid that it is to late for me and my people."
author: Isabel DeVore
claims: I don't own what I didn't make up. What I did make up I own.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter Three: The Goblin King's Court
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And it is because of your doing nothing, Elf, that we are here.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The faint sound of her voice was beautiful to the captive travelers. It sounded like an Autumn wind and no one expected something of it's quality to come out of the mouth of the grimy creature before them. But then again she was speaking in the tongue of men and anything other than crackling Orcish sounded better. Still no one responded to her.
Once again she spoke to them, a hint of force in her voice. "I said Hello. I am called Azuriel. Who are you and more importantly what are you doing in our lands?"
"Dear Azuriel, I am Legolas, this is Gimli, and these two are Pippin and Merry. We mean no harm to you or your lands. But if I may ask, what lands are we in?" Legolas asked the girl before him, staring at her with his blue eyes.
She shifted her weight from one leg to another as if suddenly uncomfortable with herself until she finally spoke. "You do not know where you are, Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood? How can you, an Elf, forget this place!?" Legolas only stood silent and Azuriel continued. "You honestly do not know...hmm. It matters not anyhow." Azuriel then turned to the orcs around her and spoke to them. "Listen ta them not! Bring 'em ta tha King as commanded! Quick like!" So off they all went again.
As they walked along the dark and narrow path to the Middle Yard where the King awaited Merry piped up. "So how long do you think we'll have to walk? My feet are already hurting!"
"Yeah, my feet hurt too! And what about some food! We're starving!" Pippin threw in.
"I don't think you'll be finding any food among the likes of these creatures. If anything we're about to become the main course at some tribal, magical, ceremony..." Gimli's gruff voice whispered.
"Ha. Do not flatter your self so. We would rather eat our own flesh before we even think of eating yours." Azuriel sneered and rolled her eyes.
"Then if you don't plan to eat us...then what are you going to do with us?!" A scared Merry squeaked out.
Azuriel shrugged. "I am not sure. Your fate is not mine to decide." For many moments on no one spoke to the prisoners and the prisoners did not speak to anyone. The orcs then became very sluggish as time wore on. Then Sketzal spoke.
"Wes make camp ere! Stop tha intruders o'er there! Give 'em not ta eat!" With Sketzal's orders in place the orcs herded the group over to a near by Furthurmoor tree to lean on for the evening. Five orcs were later placed by them to keep watch, while the multitude made camp. Soon fires were sprung up every so many orcs distance and the smell of something awful floated around the forest floor. After a few hours Azuriel came over to the captives' tree. In her hands she held wood and kindling. Kneeling before the imprisoned Legolas she began making a fire for the group.
Legolas spoke to her in Elvish. "How did you come to be here in this dark and desolate place?"
"I was born here. I have always lived here. Wait! How did you know I would understand you?" She replied back in his native tongue.
"Your name" he replied, "Is it not Elvish?"
"Unfortunately it is. At the time of my birth my father still had a liking for Elfs. But I am happy to say that time in his life has now ended." Azuriel spat at Legolas.
"Why do you hate me and my kind so? We have done nothing to humans or orcs!" Legolas questioned angrily.
Azuriel looked up into Legolas' blue eyes and starred at him with fury in her green ones. "We are NOT orcs! We are Goblins! And it is because of you doing nothing, Elf, that we are here."
"What do you mean?" Legolas' eyes flashed.
"Azuriel! Ye light this fire o'er ere! Get ta cook!" Sketzal shouted at his 'sister'. Obediently, she followed the orders given to her. Hours later when all had eaten, save the four intruders, Azuriel returned to the tree with a small black pot.
"What is that?" Pippin scrunched his nose at the substance in the pot.
"It is food." Azuriel handed the pot over to Gimli.
"Does not look like it." Gimli sneered.
"Doesn't smell like it either..." Merry whispered to Pippin.
Azuriel lowered her eyes at the three and they soon became quiet. "It is all we have, so eat it or starve. Be happy you get that at all, my brother did not see it fit to feed you."
"Then we are ever grateful to you, dear Azuriel." Legolas nodded his head in gratitude.
"You know, now that I think of it, it doesn't seem like it's that bad." Pippin chipped in.
"Uh yeah. Yeah! You know...um what's in it?" Merry asked.
Azuriel replied. "Barluk roots, Cookala thorns, and Slant Beetles."
"Slant Beetles?" Gimli questioned. "I have not seen Slant Beetles in all my life. I only heard about them from the Elder Dwarfs. How do you get to have Slant Beetles here?"
"They have always been here. We never would have even thought about eating them until recently..." Azuriel began but drifted off into her thoughts.
"Azuriel?" Legolas touched her shoulder in question.
Azuriel jumped up from her space on the ground. "Touch me not Elf! Stay from me as far as you can!"
"I meant you no harm!" He tried to explain but she ran from them as fast as her feet could carry her. In the morning the orcs called Goblins picked up the trail to the Middle Yard once again, but Azuriel was no where to be found. On and on the company drove until late that night they finally entered the Middle Yard.
When they entered, already before them in front of the masses of goblins stood the King and Queen. To their left was Azuriel surrounded by seven of what seemed to be Goblin offspring, Goloungs. With a raise of the Kings hand the crowd hushed.
"Me once people ear me again." The King cried. "Hate not these intruders! They h've come ta elp us!"
The crowd still it's hushed state then cheered like no other hunger has allowed. The four were then set free by Arhonol and Sketzal and led up into the palace. The King and Queen followed, then entered Azuriel and the seven Goloungs. Still not knowing what was going on the four heroes just stood in silence taking all that was going on.
The old King turned to the once captives and spoke to them in the language of men. "I have waited for what would seem an eternity for you to come and deliver us." The King's yellow eyes seemed to soften and grow sad. "Though I am afraid that it is to late for me and my people."