A.N - I apologise for my astounding lack of updates and I can only blame myself...and the ton of work I've had to do, and of course every writers friend the good old writer's block - yay - so, here is my latest offering, I hope it's satisfactory, and I hope another one shall be on its way soon...;0)
LOTR fan - I'm glad that you don't think Edie is a Mary-Sue. I don't think she is, I didn't make her one. The name Sirius, I must admit that I had been reading quite a bit of Harry Potter when I wrote him in. I was totally stuck for a name, and so his just kinda fitted. There will be mushy stuff later on, but not the kind that everyone would expect. I won't spoil it now, otherwise no-one will read it. The thing with the tentacles isn't the 'Watcher in the Water', but that's where I got my idea from. Mistress Antigone will return - but not in this chapter though...
aranel_elf - Thanks ;0)
***************************
Legolas and Edie began walking again at first light. The hot sun beat down its merciless rays upon them, and Edie marvelled at the strange turn in the autumn weather.
She had taken off her cloak, and now carried it in her hands, letting the hem drag in the fallen leaves of the forest.
They had decided, or rather Legolas had decided, that they would around the little villages and hamlets that they came upon, and only enter them when needs provided.
"Legolas, where are we going?" Edie asked, wiping her brow with the cloak.
"You need not worry about that." he said and stepped over a fallen log.
Edie sighed as she stepped over it after him, and got her cloak caught in a branch. She tugged at the fabric and it came away, leaving a small tear, and nearly sending her back onto her rear.
Edie examined it as she continued walking and tutted.
"This cloak is not going to survive the winter." she said and wrapped it up into a small bundle.
"Amin sinta." *I know* Legolas said, raising an eyebrow. "You need to look after it."
He halted as they came to a fallen tree tha blocked thier path. It seemed that they were walking almost where its centre lay. It was very long and rather wide, and it would take them at least another hour to navigate around it and come back to the same path they were on.
Edie sighed, "What are we going to do now?" she asked, rubbing her leg gently, it was beginning to ache with all of their walking, but she wasn't going to complain.
Legolas stood and regarded the great tree with an expression somewhere between mild annoyance and his usual hawk-like look. His long blond hair fell over his shoulders as he knelt down between the branches, yet somehow remained out of his face. Edie watched him touch the bark tenderly, and then as if testing it.
"What are you doing?" she asked him quietly, still watching, trying to see what he was looking at.
"I'm seeing if we can climb over it, it may look sturdy on the outside, but the flesh inside could be decayed."
"Well, is it alright?"
"Hush, you are too impatient." he said, and touched the bark again.
He leapt gracefully up onto the tree and held out a hand. "Come on." he said and Edie let him help her up.
Legolas stepped over the rest of the protruding branches and jumped back to the ground.
Edie stood hesitantly, clutching her cloak to her chest. The ground did look a long way down. She took a deep breath and prepared to jump, but her legs wouldn't move.
"Legolas, I can't." she said rather pathetically.
"Climb down then."
"I can't." she said, seeing no way that she could get down.
"Jump then."
Edie huffed, annoyed with herself more than anything, and jumped. She landed not in Legolas's waiting arms, but on her left leg and yelled.
Legolas hissed in air through his teeth sympathetically. "Perhaps you should not have jumped." he said.
***********
They kept walking and day quickly turned to night and they camped, once again, upon the ground.
Edie laid down her head to sleep and a strange dream came upon her.
She was walking in a wood, stepping through the trees, pushing branches out of her way. Her leg didn't hurt anymore, and she carried nothing with her.
She heard noise. Someone was singing a beautiful song. An Elven maiden perhaps, or some other being from her story books.
She walked towards the noise, searching for the owner of such an angelic voice.
She came to a grove, the singing was getting louder. She pushed a leafy bough aside and saw a woman, sitting by a pool, shrouded in a fine cloak of grey silk. There were tiny white and violet flowers surrounding the pool, which was filled with shining water, and lush green grass that spiked up softly all around.
She stood in awe, watching the woman. She couldn't see her face, but imagined her to be a fair maiden of exquisite beauty.
The woman noticed her and stopped singing.
"Oh, please don't stop because of me. Do go on." Edie said, still staring at her, wide eyed.
The woman beckoned her to come closer.
Edie warily stepped forwards a few steps.
Again, the woman wished her closer, and Edie walked now, drawn to her.
The woman reached out a hand to Edie, who was now but a few feet away. Instead of being young as Edie had expected her hand to be, it was old and knarled. Edie wanted to back away, but she couldn't.
"Come, child." the woman said, her voice was old and cracked.
Despite her greatest effort, Edie walked forward and the woman placed her hand upon Edie's cheek. She flinched inwardly, but outwardly she did not move.
The woman reached with her other hand and drew back her hood. Edie immediately recognised her worn face, it was the old woman from the wood.
Again, Edie inwardly recoiled, wishing that she could be somewhere else.
"I know you." the old woman whispered. Her voice sounded like autumn leaves, crackling underfoot.
Edie felt a chill pass through her body.
"I know you. My sister knows you...we can see right through you..." she said in a sing-song voice that sounded oddly eerie.
"Sister?" Edie asked, finding her voice.
"You know her. She has seen inside of you." she said, cocking her head to one side and humming.
Edie could feel her hand on her face, it was so rough, so coarse, as if it had worked every day of that woman's life.
Edie breathed in and out, deeply through her nose.
Then there was a flash, like lightening and Edie woke up with a start.
Legolas was sitting by the fire, looking out into the woods, he was alert as always, and turned when Edie sat up suddenly.
"That old woman, she did something to me! She put a curse upon me!" Edie said, looking at him with wide eyes.
*****************
LOTR fan - I'm glad that you don't think Edie is a Mary-Sue. I don't think she is, I didn't make her one. The name Sirius, I must admit that I had been reading quite a bit of Harry Potter when I wrote him in. I was totally stuck for a name, and so his just kinda fitted. There will be mushy stuff later on, but not the kind that everyone would expect. I won't spoil it now, otherwise no-one will read it. The thing with the tentacles isn't the 'Watcher in the Water', but that's where I got my idea from. Mistress Antigone will return - but not in this chapter though...
aranel_elf - Thanks ;0)
***************************
Legolas and Edie began walking again at first light. The hot sun beat down its merciless rays upon them, and Edie marvelled at the strange turn in the autumn weather.
She had taken off her cloak, and now carried it in her hands, letting the hem drag in the fallen leaves of the forest.
They had decided, or rather Legolas had decided, that they would around the little villages and hamlets that they came upon, and only enter them when needs provided.
"Legolas, where are we going?" Edie asked, wiping her brow with the cloak.
"You need not worry about that." he said and stepped over a fallen log.
Edie sighed as she stepped over it after him, and got her cloak caught in a branch. She tugged at the fabric and it came away, leaving a small tear, and nearly sending her back onto her rear.
Edie examined it as she continued walking and tutted.
"This cloak is not going to survive the winter." she said and wrapped it up into a small bundle.
"Amin sinta." *I know* Legolas said, raising an eyebrow. "You need to look after it."
He halted as they came to a fallen tree tha blocked thier path. It seemed that they were walking almost where its centre lay. It was very long and rather wide, and it would take them at least another hour to navigate around it and come back to the same path they were on.
Edie sighed, "What are we going to do now?" she asked, rubbing her leg gently, it was beginning to ache with all of their walking, but she wasn't going to complain.
Legolas stood and regarded the great tree with an expression somewhere between mild annoyance and his usual hawk-like look. His long blond hair fell over his shoulders as he knelt down between the branches, yet somehow remained out of his face. Edie watched him touch the bark tenderly, and then as if testing it.
"What are you doing?" she asked him quietly, still watching, trying to see what he was looking at.
"I'm seeing if we can climb over it, it may look sturdy on the outside, but the flesh inside could be decayed."
"Well, is it alright?"
"Hush, you are too impatient." he said, and touched the bark again.
He leapt gracefully up onto the tree and held out a hand. "Come on." he said and Edie let him help her up.
Legolas stepped over the rest of the protruding branches and jumped back to the ground.
Edie stood hesitantly, clutching her cloak to her chest. The ground did look a long way down. She took a deep breath and prepared to jump, but her legs wouldn't move.
"Legolas, I can't." she said rather pathetically.
"Climb down then."
"I can't." she said, seeing no way that she could get down.
"Jump then."
Edie huffed, annoyed with herself more than anything, and jumped. She landed not in Legolas's waiting arms, but on her left leg and yelled.
Legolas hissed in air through his teeth sympathetically. "Perhaps you should not have jumped." he said.
***********
They kept walking and day quickly turned to night and they camped, once again, upon the ground.
Edie laid down her head to sleep and a strange dream came upon her.
She was walking in a wood, stepping through the trees, pushing branches out of her way. Her leg didn't hurt anymore, and she carried nothing with her.
She heard noise. Someone was singing a beautiful song. An Elven maiden perhaps, or some other being from her story books.
She walked towards the noise, searching for the owner of such an angelic voice.
She came to a grove, the singing was getting louder. She pushed a leafy bough aside and saw a woman, sitting by a pool, shrouded in a fine cloak of grey silk. There were tiny white and violet flowers surrounding the pool, which was filled with shining water, and lush green grass that spiked up softly all around.
She stood in awe, watching the woman. She couldn't see her face, but imagined her to be a fair maiden of exquisite beauty.
The woman noticed her and stopped singing.
"Oh, please don't stop because of me. Do go on." Edie said, still staring at her, wide eyed.
The woman beckoned her to come closer.
Edie warily stepped forwards a few steps.
Again, the woman wished her closer, and Edie walked now, drawn to her.
The woman reached out a hand to Edie, who was now but a few feet away. Instead of being young as Edie had expected her hand to be, it was old and knarled. Edie wanted to back away, but she couldn't.
"Come, child." the woman said, her voice was old and cracked.
Despite her greatest effort, Edie walked forward and the woman placed her hand upon Edie's cheek. She flinched inwardly, but outwardly she did not move.
The woman reached with her other hand and drew back her hood. Edie immediately recognised her worn face, it was the old woman from the wood.
Again, Edie inwardly recoiled, wishing that she could be somewhere else.
"I know you." the old woman whispered. Her voice sounded like autumn leaves, crackling underfoot.
Edie felt a chill pass through her body.
"I know you. My sister knows you...we can see right through you..." she said in a sing-song voice that sounded oddly eerie.
"Sister?" Edie asked, finding her voice.
"You know her. She has seen inside of you." she said, cocking her head to one side and humming.
Edie could feel her hand on her face, it was so rough, so coarse, as if it had worked every day of that woman's life.
Edie breathed in and out, deeply through her nose.
Then there was a flash, like lightening and Edie woke up with a start.
Legolas was sitting by the fire, looking out into the woods, he was alert as always, and turned when Edie sat up suddenly.
"That old woman, she did something to me! She put a curse upon me!" Edie said, looking at him with wide eyes.
*****************