Sorry this chapter took so long. I had writers block, and, well, we all get it.
Things will start to make sense...
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Lord Antinous and his men came to a small town, it seemed that they had overtaken the Elfen Prince and Edie, although neither party was aware of this.
They camped on the outskirts and Lord Antinous took the boy, Melanthius, with him to a local tavern to find out if the Princess and her companion had passed through on thier journey.
Sitting at a corner table, Lord Antinous sent Melanthius off in search of someone who could give them information.
Melanthius came back with a rather shifty looking man. "I 'ear yar lookin' far infarmation?" he asked and sat himself down on a stool opposite Antinous, who regarded him with an expression of thinly veiled disdain.
"Yes, we are looking for information." he said, raising an eyebrow. "It is a rather delicate matter..."
"Tha' makes no difference ta me. It only matters if ya want ma other services." he said, flexing one of his hands, the other was conceiled in a black glove. "If ya know what I mean."
"Oh." Lord Antinous looked slightly worried for a second, but quickly regained his composure and grinned maliciously, "May I ask how much you charge for your 'other' service?"
"All depends on 'ow clean, 'ow discreet, and 'ow quickly it gets done." the man said rubbing his bristly chin.
"It's a girl, quite small, no trouble. She doesn't even know how to wield a sword. It doesn't matter how discreet you are, as long as no-one sees you do it."
The man smiled cruelly, "Ah'd like a drink ta start with." and stuck out his hand, "Tha name's Sirius. Sirius Goldsbane. Am I ta know yours?"
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Melanthius did not know what to do. Lord Antinous really was taking things a bit far, he had hired an assasin to find and kill the Princess so that he, himself, could be King without the hinderance of a wife.
He looked uncertainly to his master who looked back. "You will tell no-one of this, Boy. Am I understood?" he growled.
Melanthius nodded numbly, but as soon as they got back to the camp Melanthius went and found Eurymachus and told him.
"Are you sure?" Eurymachus asked, once Melanthius had finished recounting their visit to the tavern.
"Yes, Sir."
"This really is quite unexpected." Eurymachus said, scratching his forehead. "I thought he would have been happy just being King. That is why he wishes to marry the Princess. There is no love in this relationship, young Melanthius."
"I did not think there was."
"Well, I don't expect anyone is going to put a stop to this. No-one, not even I am brave enough to confront Lord Antinous." he sighed and patted Melanthius reassuringly on the shoulder. "I'm sure the Princess will be fine, after all, has she not got a companion to keep her safe?"
This did not make Melanthius feel any better, he had seen the man who was send to kill the Princess, Eurymachus had not.
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Later on in that day, when Edie was looking a little better, she and Legolas set off again. He supported her as she limped along, cursing in a very unladylike manner every so often and shooting him dirty looks.
Edie sighed with relief as a small town came into view through the trees.
"Civilisation." she breathed and was only too eager to spend the night in the local inn much to Legolas's displeasure. He was wary even now, when she was sure that Lord Antinous was far behind them.
Even though she was not sure what went on at an inn, she imagined it to be much like a banquet from the laughter she heard as they approached.
Legolas drew his hood up over his head, covering his tell-tale ears, even though the cloak barely reached his knees now that Edie had a portion of it around her leg, and the cloak had originally been hers.
Edie stopped in her tracks a few paces away from the door. She took off Legolas's cloak from around her shoulders and handed it to him.
"Put it on." she said, pushing it into his hands.
He tried to refuse, but Edie glared at him, "Put it on! My cloak looks ridiculous on you, it will make us even more conspicuous."
Legolas took his cloak back grudgingly and handed her the other. He fastened his old cloak back round his neck and pulled the hood up so only part of his face was visible, Edie copied him and they entered the inn.
The atmosphere was warm and friendly, but not at all like Edie had imagined. It was much less civilised and more bawdy.
She and Legolas took a small table in a dark corner and Edie gave Legolas some money to purchase some food. He turned the money over in his hand and looked at it curiously.
"Is there something wrong with it?" Edie asked, she had never had to pay for anything in her life. She didn't think to ask Legolas if he had.
"No...no..." he said before walking into the milling crowd.
Edie observed the throng with undisguised interest and nerviousness. She felt that her hood protected her from anyone really noticing her, but she was wrong.
She was looking around and she saw a man staring back at her, he unnerved her and so she fixed her gaze on the table in front of her, intently focusing on the cracks in the wood and the rough finish and the tankard rings where the local brew had been spilt.
She saw a shadow looming over the table and she looked up, the man was standing above her, his dark eyes glinting in the light of the fire that stood to Edie's right.
She smiled at him nervously, he did not return her smile, but glared at her and took the seat at the table opposite her.
He was tall and he leaned on the table with his elbows, he had unruly black hair and a beard that looked unkept and wild upon his face. He squinted at her for a moment and Edie looked down, noticing that his left hand was covered with a black glove and he didn't move it.
"What brings ya ta this part of Middle Earth?" he asked her, leering over and looking even less desirable than before.
Edie shivered despite the warmness of the room and wished that Legolas would return soon.
"Are ya gonna answer me? 'Eight of bad manners not ta." he growled, and leaned further towards her.
"Erm..." Edie said stammering and trying not to catch the man's eye as she searched for Legolas.
"There's no need ta be rude." he said, moving slightly in his seat.
Edie thought she saw a flash of metal, and she backed away as far as she could before hitting the wall with her stool. She then breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Legolas's shadowy figure returning through the crowd bearing plates of steaming stew.
She felt inclined to call out, but kept her mouth shut as she glanced back at the place where she had seen the metal, knowing that the Elf's high sense of danger would pick up on any ill intentions that the man had.
Legolas reached the table where he had left Edie and noticed the man sitting opposite her, and Edie's look of uneasiness.
Edie looked over at him, and he saw her expression brighten somewhat, "Sir, if you will excuse me, my husband is come and I feel he would be uncomfortable with your presence as we eat." she said, gesturing to Legolas.
Legolas stiffened and put one plate in front of Edie. The man growled low and leaned towards Edie, "I'll be watching ya, little miss." he said, low enough so that only she could hear it. But Legolas's sensitive ears picked up on the threat and as the man moved away he sat and glared at his retreating figure.
"Horrible, lecherous man!" Edie trilled when she was quite sure that he was far enough away that he would not hear.
"You shouldn't talk to the likes of that." Legolas warned and looked down at the strew in front of him.
"I didn't!" Edie picked up a spoon with more force than necessary and scooped up the food, shoving it into her mouth and making a face. "What is this stuff?" she asked, after she had swallowed.
"House special." Legolas mumbled and put his own spoon reluctantly into it.
When they had finished eating Legolas got up to arrange rooms for the night. Edie stayed in her chair, hoping that the man would not come back.
Much to her dismay she saw him watch Legolas's retreating form and walk over to her once the Elf was out of sight.
"Well then, little miss, it seems that you and I 'ave been in similar parts of Middle Earth." he said glancing down at the spashes of gold on Edie's boots that shone in the half-light. "Ya will not tell anybody of The Waters of Merendel."
"I do not know what you speak of, Sir." Edie replied, feeling more confident knowing that Legolas was there to protect her, and she could see him talking to the Innkeeper.
"I know who y'are." the man said, taking out a small vial, which Edie eyed suspiciously, shocked that this stranger claimed to know her.
"What is that?" she asked, already feeling that she knew.
The man held the vial with one hand, and with the same hand he took the black leather glove off the other. His gloved hand was lifeless and still, Edie had not seen it move in all the time she had spoken to him. Now she knew why. Underneath the glove his hand was solid gold, like the bird. He had been scarred by his greed. Almost as quickly as he had revealed it, the hand was covered up again, but Edie stared at it still.
He reached towards her hand with his lifeless one and tried unsucessfully to grab her. In a last ditch attempt to harm her he leaned forward and with his ungloved hand he thrust the unstoppered vial towards her, Edie hastily scraped her chair back and got out of the way as the sparking liquid rushed out in a small stream and spilt over the table just in front of her, turning to old wood to gold.
Edie felt herself go cold, and her face turned even more pale. She gawped at the table and knew that if she had been any slower it could have been her who was covered in that water.
She hadn't noticed Legolas come up behind the man and put a knife to his throat. Quite a few people had turned round and were now eyeing the situation warily.
"Leave now and I shall do you no harm." Legolas whispered in the man's ear. "If you threaten my wife again then the breath with which you say those words will be your last. Am I understood?" he asked, pushing the knife a little harder into the man's skin and drawing a small amount of blood, as a warning.
The man nodded as the Innkeeper came over, wiping his hands down his trousers.
"Alright then. We'll be having none of that in here." he said addressing both Legolas and the man. "Sirius, I've warned you before not to threaten my customers, and Sir, "he looked to Legolas, "I can only warn you not to cause any more trouble, this is a respectful establishment." he looked again to Sirius. "Out!" he said and pulled him to the door, Sirius made no move to protest.
The inn was silent for a long moment, and then everyone started talking again as if nothing had happened.
Legolas slid into the seat next to Edie and said, "I think it would be best if we retired now."
Edie nodded numbly and let herself be lead out of the bustling room.
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Please review...thankyou!
Things will start to make sense...
**********************
Lord Antinous and his men came to a small town, it seemed that they had overtaken the Elfen Prince and Edie, although neither party was aware of this.
They camped on the outskirts and Lord Antinous took the boy, Melanthius, with him to a local tavern to find out if the Princess and her companion had passed through on thier journey.
Sitting at a corner table, Lord Antinous sent Melanthius off in search of someone who could give them information.
Melanthius came back with a rather shifty looking man. "I 'ear yar lookin' far infarmation?" he asked and sat himself down on a stool opposite Antinous, who regarded him with an expression of thinly veiled disdain.
"Yes, we are looking for information." he said, raising an eyebrow. "It is a rather delicate matter..."
"Tha' makes no difference ta me. It only matters if ya want ma other services." he said, flexing one of his hands, the other was conceiled in a black glove. "If ya know what I mean."
"Oh." Lord Antinous looked slightly worried for a second, but quickly regained his composure and grinned maliciously, "May I ask how much you charge for your 'other' service?"
"All depends on 'ow clean, 'ow discreet, and 'ow quickly it gets done." the man said rubbing his bristly chin.
"It's a girl, quite small, no trouble. She doesn't even know how to wield a sword. It doesn't matter how discreet you are, as long as no-one sees you do it."
The man smiled cruelly, "Ah'd like a drink ta start with." and stuck out his hand, "Tha name's Sirius. Sirius Goldsbane. Am I ta know yours?"
**********************
Melanthius did not know what to do. Lord Antinous really was taking things a bit far, he had hired an assasin to find and kill the Princess so that he, himself, could be King without the hinderance of a wife.
He looked uncertainly to his master who looked back. "You will tell no-one of this, Boy. Am I understood?" he growled.
Melanthius nodded numbly, but as soon as they got back to the camp Melanthius went and found Eurymachus and told him.
"Are you sure?" Eurymachus asked, once Melanthius had finished recounting their visit to the tavern.
"Yes, Sir."
"This really is quite unexpected." Eurymachus said, scratching his forehead. "I thought he would have been happy just being King. That is why he wishes to marry the Princess. There is no love in this relationship, young Melanthius."
"I did not think there was."
"Well, I don't expect anyone is going to put a stop to this. No-one, not even I am brave enough to confront Lord Antinous." he sighed and patted Melanthius reassuringly on the shoulder. "I'm sure the Princess will be fine, after all, has she not got a companion to keep her safe?"
This did not make Melanthius feel any better, he had seen the man who was send to kill the Princess, Eurymachus had not.
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Later on in that day, when Edie was looking a little better, she and Legolas set off again. He supported her as she limped along, cursing in a very unladylike manner every so often and shooting him dirty looks.
Edie sighed with relief as a small town came into view through the trees.
"Civilisation." she breathed and was only too eager to spend the night in the local inn much to Legolas's displeasure. He was wary even now, when she was sure that Lord Antinous was far behind them.
Even though she was not sure what went on at an inn, she imagined it to be much like a banquet from the laughter she heard as they approached.
Legolas drew his hood up over his head, covering his tell-tale ears, even though the cloak barely reached his knees now that Edie had a portion of it around her leg, and the cloak had originally been hers.
Edie stopped in her tracks a few paces away from the door. She took off Legolas's cloak from around her shoulders and handed it to him.
"Put it on." she said, pushing it into his hands.
He tried to refuse, but Edie glared at him, "Put it on! My cloak looks ridiculous on you, it will make us even more conspicuous."
Legolas took his cloak back grudgingly and handed her the other. He fastened his old cloak back round his neck and pulled the hood up so only part of his face was visible, Edie copied him and they entered the inn.
The atmosphere was warm and friendly, but not at all like Edie had imagined. It was much less civilised and more bawdy.
She and Legolas took a small table in a dark corner and Edie gave Legolas some money to purchase some food. He turned the money over in his hand and looked at it curiously.
"Is there something wrong with it?" Edie asked, she had never had to pay for anything in her life. She didn't think to ask Legolas if he had.
"No...no..." he said before walking into the milling crowd.
Edie observed the throng with undisguised interest and nerviousness. She felt that her hood protected her from anyone really noticing her, but she was wrong.
She was looking around and she saw a man staring back at her, he unnerved her and so she fixed her gaze on the table in front of her, intently focusing on the cracks in the wood and the rough finish and the tankard rings where the local brew had been spilt.
She saw a shadow looming over the table and she looked up, the man was standing above her, his dark eyes glinting in the light of the fire that stood to Edie's right.
She smiled at him nervously, he did not return her smile, but glared at her and took the seat at the table opposite her.
He was tall and he leaned on the table with his elbows, he had unruly black hair and a beard that looked unkept and wild upon his face. He squinted at her for a moment and Edie looked down, noticing that his left hand was covered with a black glove and he didn't move it.
"What brings ya ta this part of Middle Earth?" he asked her, leering over and looking even less desirable than before.
Edie shivered despite the warmness of the room and wished that Legolas would return soon.
"Are ya gonna answer me? 'Eight of bad manners not ta." he growled, and leaned further towards her.
"Erm..." Edie said stammering and trying not to catch the man's eye as she searched for Legolas.
"There's no need ta be rude." he said, moving slightly in his seat.
Edie thought she saw a flash of metal, and she backed away as far as she could before hitting the wall with her stool. She then breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Legolas's shadowy figure returning through the crowd bearing plates of steaming stew.
She felt inclined to call out, but kept her mouth shut as she glanced back at the place where she had seen the metal, knowing that the Elf's high sense of danger would pick up on any ill intentions that the man had.
Legolas reached the table where he had left Edie and noticed the man sitting opposite her, and Edie's look of uneasiness.
Edie looked over at him, and he saw her expression brighten somewhat, "Sir, if you will excuse me, my husband is come and I feel he would be uncomfortable with your presence as we eat." she said, gesturing to Legolas.
Legolas stiffened and put one plate in front of Edie. The man growled low and leaned towards Edie, "I'll be watching ya, little miss." he said, low enough so that only she could hear it. But Legolas's sensitive ears picked up on the threat and as the man moved away he sat and glared at his retreating figure.
"Horrible, lecherous man!" Edie trilled when she was quite sure that he was far enough away that he would not hear.
"You shouldn't talk to the likes of that." Legolas warned and looked down at the strew in front of him.
"I didn't!" Edie picked up a spoon with more force than necessary and scooped up the food, shoving it into her mouth and making a face. "What is this stuff?" she asked, after she had swallowed.
"House special." Legolas mumbled and put his own spoon reluctantly into it.
When they had finished eating Legolas got up to arrange rooms for the night. Edie stayed in her chair, hoping that the man would not come back.
Much to her dismay she saw him watch Legolas's retreating form and walk over to her once the Elf was out of sight.
"Well then, little miss, it seems that you and I 'ave been in similar parts of Middle Earth." he said glancing down at the spashes of gold on Edie's boots that shone in the half-light. "Ya will not tell anybody of The Waters of Merendel."
"I do not know what you speak of, Sir." Edie replied, feeling more confident knowing that Legolas was there to protect her, and she could see him talking to the Innkeeper.
"I know who y'are." the man said, taking out a small vial, which Edie eyed suspiciously, shocked that this stranger claimed to know her.
"What is that?" she asked, already feeling that she knew.
The man held the vial with one hand, and with the same hand he took the black leather glove off the other. His gloved hand was lifeless and still, Edie had not seen it move in all the time she had spoken to him. Now she knew why. Underneath the glove his hand was solid gold, like the bird. He had been scarred by his greed. Almost as quickly as he had revealed it, the hand was covered up again, but Edie stared at it still.
He reached towards her hand with his lifeless one and tried unsucessfully to grab her. In a last ditch attempt to harm her he leaned forward and with his ungloved hand he thrust the unstoppered vial towards her, Edie hastily scraped her chair back and got out of the way as the sparking liquid rushed out in a small stream and spilt over the table just in front of her, turning to old wood to gold.
Edie felt herself go cold, and her face turned even more pale. She gawped at the table and knew that if she had been any slower it could have been her who was covered in that water.
She hadn't noticed Legolas come up behind the man and put a knife to his throat. Quite a few people had turned round and were now eyeing the situation warily.
"Leave now and I shall do you no harm." Legolas whispered in the man's ear. "If you threaten my wife again then the breath with which you say those words will be your last. Am I understood?" he asked, pushing the knife a little harder into the man's skin and drawing a small amount of blood, as a warning.
The man nodded as the Innkeeper came over, wiping his hands down his trousers.
"Alright then. We'll be having none of that in here." he said addressing both Legolas and the man. "Sirius, I've warned you before not to threaten my customers, and Sir, "he looked to Legolas, "I can only warn you not to cause any more trouble, this is a respectful establishment." he looked again to Sirius. "Out!" he said and pulled him to the door, Sirius made no move to protest.
The inn was silent for a long moment, and then everyone started talking again as if nothing had happened.
Legolas slid into the seat next to Edie and said, "I think it would be best if we retired now."
Edie nodded numbly and let herself be lead out of the bustling room.
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Please review...thankyou!