Chapter 3
Going Wild
Irene finally stopped running, unable to go any further. She fell to the grass on all fours, taking deep, shaky breaths. The reality of her being an orphan had hit her very hard...especially after all of the love and care Legolas had given her. 'I do not believe this,' she thought to herself. "I am an orphan?" she looked up, seeing the sky darken. She had no idea where she was or how far away Mirkwood lay. "Uh oh." she said to herself as an owl hooted in the distance and crickets began chirping. She was alone, lost and terrified.
Irene found shelter in a cave not far away from where she had fallen, and pulled her knees up to her chest once she had leaned against the cave wall. 'Perhaps they will look for me,' she thought. 'I have made a terrible mistake. I do not know where to go or how to survive in the wild.' She thought of her foster father, tall, handsome and blonde and felt her cheeks turn red with anger. "Damn it all!" she snapped to nothing in particular. When the dawn came, she decided, she would make her way back to Mirkwood and apologize for her behavior. That's easy enough, she thought, curling up in a ball. How very wrong she was!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Dawn came and Irene woke, her dark hair a mess and her clothing covered with dirt from laying on the cave floor. She suddenly realized she was very hungry, as her stomach growled continuously. She stood, yawning, and stumbled out into the ealry morning sunlight. She stretched up and down and from side to side, trying to wake herself up. "Now lets see...which way did I come from?" she asked, looking around, suddenly frowning. "Uh oh..." everything around her looked the same. Trees, trees, trees...flowers, grass, water...she had no idea which part of these forests she had come. "Oh well...I have all day...it can't take too long to find my way home. I am sure my real parents had a good sense of direction." she started to walk, but tripped over a stone, falling. "Ouch!" she looked at her knee, which she had scraped, but not bad enough that she could not go on. She stood once again and made her way into the forest.
She walked and walked and walked for what seemed like hours on end, and had no idea whether she had gone the right way or not. She looked for the big tree with the grey ladder coming from it's head, but that was nowhere to be found. She found a peach tree and took a peach from it, inspecting it first for ripeness. When she was satisfied, she plopped down onto the ground and leaned against the tree, biting into it. "Mmmmm." she mumbled to herself as the sweet juice poured into her mouth. She ate for a little while until she had satisfied her stomach, and continued on her way.
It was growing into early evening when she heard what sounded like footsteps walking on dead leaves, and stopped dead in her tracks. "Hello?" she asked in barely a whisper. She started backwards (which was her sign when she was afraid) and "OWWWWWW!" she yelped, jumping up and down, grasping her foot tightly between her hands. A large thorn stuck out from the center. "OW, OW, OW, OW!" she gasped, and suddenly found herself face to face with a tall male elf. "Are you all right?"
"Argh!" Irene cried, and fell back, hitting the ground with a THUD. The elf had long brown hair tied into a single braid down his back. He wore a brown tunic with pine green breeches, and Irene, when she got a better look, saw that he had deep green eyes. "Get away!"she snapped, grimacing in pain as she clutched her foot.
"You are hurt," the Elf said, kneeling down. "If you will let me help you...I can pull that thorn out in no time."
"I do NOT need your help thank you." she snapped.
"Truly? Then why is not removed?"
"Shut up...I can do it myself." she attempted to take the thorn out, but sobbed as she did so. "Fine, HELP me...then leave me be."
"All right." he set his pack down, removed a bottle of brown liquid and rubbed it over the injured part of Irene's foot. Then with ease, he removed the thorn, and held it up in front of her. "There you are."
She sighed with relief. "Ahhhh. That is better."
"Do I not even get a thank you?" asked the male elf as she started to stand. She turned and looked at him rather gravely. "Thank you, Master..."
"Natannael Sylverbranch."
"Well, Natannael, I am very grateful. I must be on my way now..."
"Where are you going?"
"What is it to you?"
"I might be able to help..."
"If you could at least point me in the right direction, I..." Irene paused. "My..." she giggled girlishly. "You are rather handsome..."
"I am afraid that I have my own love to think about at home. What is your name?"
"Irene...um..."
"Do you not have a last name?" The elfess frowned.
"I do not. I am an orphan."
"I am sorry about that. Have you been living in the wild all this time?"
"No...Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood has cared for me. However, I ran away and I wish to go back..."
"Mirkwood? My, you are a long way away from there," chuckled Natannael.
Irene's face fell. "How far?"
"Many miles. You may as well come back to Silverymoon with me."
"But what about Lego..."
"We will send him a note telling him you are alive and if he loves you enough, he will come for you." Natannael replied, offering his hand. Irene frowned down upon it, not knowing whether she ought to trust this Elf.
"I suppose..."
"Good. Come along, then. Silverymoon is not a long ways from here."
She decided to follow him, feeling she had nothing else to loose.
Irene finally stopped running, unable to go any further. She fell to the grass on all fours, taking deep, shaky breaths. The reality of her being an orphan had hit her very hard...especially after all of the love and care Legolas had given her. 'I do not believe this,' she thought to herself. "I am an orphan?" she looked up, seeing the sky darken. She had no idea where she was or how far away Mirkwood lay. "Uh oh." she said to herself as an owl hooted in the distance and crickets began chirping. She was alone, lost and terrified.
Irene found shelter in a cave not far away from where she had fallen, and pulled her knees up to her chest once she had leaned against the cave wall. 'Perhaps they will look for me,' she thought. 'I have made a terrible mistake. I do not know where to go or how to survive in the wild.' She thought of her foster father, tall, handsome and blonde and felt her cheeks turn red with anger. "Damn it all!" she snapped to nothing in particular. When the dawn came, she decided, she would make her way back to Mirkwood and apologize for her behavior. That's easy enough, she thought, curling up in a ball. How very wrong she was!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Dawn came and Irene woke, her dark hair a mess and her clothing covered with dirt from laying on the cave floor. She suddenly realized she was very hungry, as her stomach growled continuously. She stood, yawning, and stumbled out into the ealry morning sunlight. She stretched up and down and from side to side, trying to wake herself up. "Now lets see...which way did I come from?" she asked, looking around, suddenly frowning. "Uh oh..." everything around her looked the same. Trees, trees, trees...flowers, grass, water...she had no idea which part of these forests she had come. "Oh well...I have all day...it can't take too long to find my way home. I am sure my real parents had a good sense of direction." she started to walk, but tripped over a stone, falling. "Ouch!" she looked at her knee, which she had scraped, but not bad enough that she could not go on. She stood once again and made her way into the forest.
She walked and walked and walked for what seemed like hours on end, and had no idea whether she had gone the right way or not. She looked for the big tree with the grey ladder coming from it's head, but that was nowhere to be found. She found a peach tree and took a peach from it, inspecting it first for ripeness. When she was satisfied, she plopped down onto the ground and leaned against the tree, biting into it. "Mmmmm." she mumbled to herself as the sweet juice poured into her mouth. She ate for a little while until she had satisfied her stomach, and continued on her way.
It was growing into early evening when she heard what sounded like footsteps walking on dead leaves, and stopped dead in her tracks. "Hello?" she asked in barely a whisper. She started backwards (which was her sign when she was afraid) and "OWWWWWW!" she yelped, jumping up and down, grasping her foot tightly between her hands. A large thorn stuck out from the center. "OW, OW, OW, OW!" she gasped, and suddenly found herself face to face with a tall male elf. "Are you all right?"
"Argh!" Irene cried, and fell back, hitting the ground with a THUD. The elf had long brown hair tied into a single braid down his back. He wore a brown tunic with pine green breeches, and Irene, when she got a better look, saw that he had deep green eyes. "Get away!"she snapped, grimacing in pain as she clutched her foot.
"You are hurt," the Elf said, kneeling down. "If you will let me help you...I can pull that thorn out in no time."
"I do NOT need your help thank you." she snapped.
"Truly? Then why is not removed?"
"Shut up...I can do it myself." she attempted to take the thorn out, but sobbed as she did so. "Fine, HELP me...then leave me be."
"All right." he set his pack down, removed a bottle of brown liquid and rubbed it over the injured part of Irene's foot. Then with ease, he removed the thorn, and held it up in front of her. "There you are."
She sighed with relief. "Ahhhh. That is better."
"Do I not even get a thank you?" asked the male elf as she started to stand. She turned and looked at him rather gravely. "Thank you, Master..."
"Natannael Sylverbranch."
"Well, Natannael, I am very grateful. I must be on my way now..."
"Where are you going?"
"What is it to you?"
"I might be able to help..."
"If you could at least point me in the right direction, I..." Irene paused. "My..." she giggled girlishly. "You are rather handsome..."
"I am afraid that I have my own love to think about at home. What is your name?"
"Irene...um..."
"Do you not have a last name?" The elfess frowned.
"I do not. I am an orphan."
"I am sorry about that. Have you been living in the wild all this time?"
"No...Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood has cared for me. However, I ran away and I wish to go back..."
"Mirkwood? My, you are a long way away from there," chuckled Natannael.
Irene's face fell. "How far?"
"Many miles. You may as well come back to Silverymoon with me."
"But what about Lego..."
"We will send him a note telling him you are alive and if he loves you enough, he will come for you." Natannael replied, offering his hand. Irene frowned down upon it, not knowing whether she ought to trust this Elf.
"I suppose..."
"Good. Come along, then. Silverymoon is not a long ways from here."
She decided to follow him, feeling she had nothing else to loose.