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from the enhanced stats, but I'd love to hear from you more often! Thanks
for reading and enjoy!
Ch. 20
The preparations went quickly, and soon the six of them were piling into boats beside the Elves. They'd all had extra training since the decision to allow them to come, and they were as ready as they could be. Most of the Elves were upset about them coming, too, especially the girls, but Amy wouldn't hear it. If someone made a fuss, she'd just pull the Elf aside for a moment, and that was the end of it.
It wasn't long before the group approached Dol Guldur. Mattie, Beth, Kim, and Randy had been instructed very specifically to climb a tree and shoot arrows from there. They were not supposed to fight on the ground. Pete and Mark were told to stay very close to the Elves, especially Amy, and not do anything foolish.
As they approached the tower, Orcs began to pour out. Quickly they were surrounded. Mark and Pete both quickly found opponents, and started slaying Orcs. They fought beside each other, and often back to back. That way, neither had to guard his back as carefully. Whenever they might get in trouble, an arrow would come from the archers in the trees, picking off more Orcs, or an Elf would come in and take another Orc or two down for them. The pair of them fought extremely well, and soon they had to approach the Orcs, which were realizing attacking those two was even more dangerous than many of the Elves.
Mattie had found a place just above head level in a tree, but in the vision in the Mirror, she had been on the ground. She quickly located the window where she'd the Orc in the vision, but she didn't have a clear shot from where she was. She climbed out of the tree and moved so she had a clear shot. Everyone was occupied with the battle, so no one noticed her. She glanced around nervously. An Orc came around a tree, and she shot in the eye it with an arrow. Another one approached, too fast to get an arrow ready. She pulled a knife from her belt and managed to block the first couple strikes, but one cut across her upper arm. Finally, she managed to stab the Orc through the heart. She turned back to see the Orc archer in the window, taking aim. She rushed to ready an arrow, then fired. It went wide and just grazed the Orc's thigh. It threw the thing's aim, but not much. The arrow hit Amy in the right shoulder. She continued fighting, switching to her left hand.
Mattie scrambled back into the tree. She didn't want to risk any more injuries. Her arm was burning, and she found it impossible to draw the bow, so she just sat and watched the battle. Amy kept getting weaker and weaker, and Mark and Pete soon realized what had happened and fought their way to her side. With those two beside her, Amy didn't have to fight much, so she could rest. Eventually the battle was over, and the archers dropped out of the trees. Mattie's arm was burning so much she wasn't sure she could get down. One of the Elves noticed her predicament and helped her down.
"How were you injured? Were you hit by an arrow?"
Mattie shook her head, and pushed him away, running to where Galadriel was leaning over Amy. Galadriel looked up as Mattie, Beth, Kim, and Randy arrived.
"She is injured, but not dead. If she can survive the poison, she will recover." Mattie heard Galadriel's voice in her mind. You did well, and at much risk to yourself. You did not fail.
While Galadriel tended Amy, another Elf pulled Mattie away to look at her arm. It wasn't poisoned, and he bandaged it for her. By the time he finished, Galadriel had done what she could for Amy, and she and the other Elves turned their attention to the tower, destroying it as fully as they could. Galadriel herself threw down many of the walls, and the Elves didn't leave any of it standing.
When the tower was destroyed, Galadriel came back to where the humans were sitting with Amy. "You all fought well. The main force will continue on to meet with Thranduil of Mirkwood, but I will return with a small force so Almare may return to the Caras Galadon sooner." The Elves built a sort of travois and brought Amy back to the boats. When they returned to Lórien, they were met by Elves with horses. Galadriel put Amy before her and they rode back to the city. They took Amy immediately to the healers there, and Galadriel sent word to Rivendell. Amy remained unconscious, and the healers there could do nothing for her.
Two weeks after the battle, Elrond arrived in Lothlórien. He'd ridden hard, alone, surviving on lembas usually eaten without stopping. The guards met him on the borders with a fresh horse and rushed him to Caras Galadon. Galadriel met him as he entered the city.
"Thank you for coming, Elrond. Almare is unconscious, but no worse than when I contacted you. You are anxious to see her, but take a moment at least to eat something." She offered bread and cold meat, which he finished in moments. As he ate, she continued. "You have traveled hard to get here so quickly. Our healers are looking after her, but there is little more than can be done save wait." She watched Elrond's face closely as she spoke and saw the pain in his eyes. "You care for her deeply."
Elrond dropped his eyes at this, but nodded. "Yes, I do."
"Good." Elrond looked up sharply. "Do not think I would begrudge either of you happiness. Time is pressing, so I will be blunt. You are both alone, and it would be ridiculous to deny what you feel simply because you fear offending me. My daughter is dead and gone. We have grieved her, but now it is time to move on."
"I fear I have already waited too long."
"She is not dead yet. Come, I will take you to her."
Elrond stuffed the last bit of bread into his mouth. Galadriel smiled to herself at the less than dignified behavior, then led him to the humans' talans, where Amy was housed with the younger women. They had insisted she stay there so they could be close to her.
All six of the young people were there, sitting in the central area. Beth and Kim were working on embroidery, and the others were just talking. They all gasped a little to see Elrond, especially as disheveled as he was from travel. Beth cleared her throat, and the other humans took the hint. They gathered their things and headed for the men's talan.
Elrond walked into the side chamber where Amy was laying. Galadriel squeezed his shoulder, then left the room. Elrond leaned over her and brushed dark hair back from her pale face. He drew the covers back just enough to check the shoulder wound. Amy moaned slightly when he probed it with his fingers, but didn't wake. He reflected back on his life since she'd returned to Middle Earth. He'd been consumed with meaningless pursuits, and then she'd come along. When he'd finally kissed her, it had scared him enough that he'd been glad she'd gone to Lothlórien, but now, with her injury, he felt guilty about letting her go, as if he could have known or could have prevented it. The time apart had made him realize he would never be content alone, and news of her injury had shaken him to the core. It had finally made him realize just how much he cared about her, and reminded him that he might not have another chance to tell her so.
Galadriel had Amy moved to another talan, still close to the humans, so Elrond could stay with her all night without disturbing anyone. Galadriel frequently ordered him to sleep and had meals sent up for him. Two weeks passed with little change. One evening, Elrond returned from taking a short walk at Galadriel's insistence. He sat down on the edge of Amy's bed.
Sighing deeply, he began to talk. "I know you probably cannot hear me, Almare, but I must speak what is on my heart." He took one of her hands, disturbingly cold, as they had been for weeks. "I was a fool not to appreciate you before. I fear I have waited too long and now you are beyond my reach. I have done everything in my power to help you, and yet it is not enough." He clenched his free hand. "I wish I could have been with you, could have protected you, but I suppose you would say that you need no protection. You have been so successful on your own, and I wonder sometimes if you would even want a companion. I feel so alone. Perhaps you have found a way to be content alone. I cannot find it. These past weeks have made me realize just how much I love you. I pray the Valar will give me the opportunity to say that to you when you can hear me." Elrond trailed off, unable to say anything more. Eventually, he lay down beside her on the bed and fell asleep, exhausted.
Amy felt as if she were underwater. Everything was dark and haloed with pain. She couldn't move, but she could hear Elrond speaking. The voice seemed distant at first, but soon became clearer. She wanted to shout that she could hear him, but she couldn't make her body function. He stopped talking, and she wanted to beg him to continue. She felt the bed shift when he laid down beside her, but she could barely feel his arms around her. In her mind, she screamed in frustration, but everything went black again.
Ch. 20
The preparations went quickly, and soon the six of them were piling into boats beside the Elves. They'd all had extra training since the decision to allow them to come, and they were as ready as they could be. Most of the Elves were upset about them coming, too, especially the girls, but Amy wouldn't hear it. If someone made a fuss, she'd just pull the Elf aside for a moment, and that was the end of it.
It wasn't long before the group approached Dol Guldur. Mattie, Beth, Kim, and Randy had been instructed very specifically to climb a tree and shoot arrows from there. They were not supposed to fight on the ground. Pete and Mark were told to stay very close to the Elves, especially Amy, and not do anything foolish.
As they approached the tower, Orcs began to pour out. Quickly they were surrounded. Mark and Pete both quickly found opponents, and started slaying Orcs. They fought beside each other, and often back to back. That way, neither had to guard his back as carefully. Whenever they might get in trouble, an arrow would come from the archers in the trees, picking off more Orcs, or an Elf would come in and take another Orc or two down for them. The pair of them fought extremely well, and soon they had to approach the Orcs, which were realizing attacking those two was even more dangerous than many of the Elves.
Mattie had found a place just above head level in a tree, but in the vision in the Mirror, she had been on the ground. She quickly located the window where she'd the Orc in the vision, but she didn't have a clear shot from where she was. She climbed out of the tree and moved so she had a clear shot. Everyone was occupied with the battle, so no one noticed her. She glanced around nervously. An Orc came around a tree, and she shot in the eye it with an arrow. Another one approached, too fast to get an arrow ready. She pulled a knife from her belt and managed to block the first couple strikes, but one cut across her upper arm. Finally, she managed to stab the Orc through the heart. She turned back to see the Orc archer in the window, taking aim. She rushed to ready an arrow, then fired. It went wide and just grazed the Orc's thigh. It threw the thing's aim, but not much. The arrow hit Amy in the right shoulder. She continued fighting, switching to her left hand.
Mattie scrambled back into the tree. She didn't want to risk any more injuries. Her arm was burning, and she found it impossible to draw the bow, so she just sat and watched the battle. Amy kept getting weaker and weaker, and Mark and Pete soon realized what had happened and fought their way to her side. With those two beside her, Amy didn't have to fight much, so she could rest. Eventually the battle was over, and the archers dropped out of the trees. Mattie's arm was burning so much she wasn't sure she could get down. One of the Elves noticed her predicament and helped her down.
"How were you injured? Were you hit by an arrow?"
Mattie shook her head, and pushed him away, running to where Galadriel was leaning over Amy. Galadriel looked up as Mattie, Beth, Kim, and Randy arrived.
"She is injured, but not dead. If she can survive the poison, she will recover." Mattie heard Galadriel's voice in her mind. You did well, and at much risk to yourself. You did not fail.
While Galadriel tended Amy, another Elf pulled Mattie away to look at her arm. It wasn't poisoned, and he bandaged it for her. By the time he finished, Galadriel had done what she could for Amy, and she and the other Elves turned their attention to the tower, destroying it as fully as they could. Galadriel herself threw down many of the walls, and the Elves didn't leave any of it standing.
When the tower was destroyed, Galadriel came back to where the humans were sitting with Amy. "You all fought well. The main force will continue on to meet with Thranduil of Mirkwood, but I will return with a small force so Almare may return to the Caras Galadon sooner." The Elves built a sort of travois and brought Amy back to the boats. When they returned to Lórien, they were met by Elves with horses. Galadriel put Amy before her and they rode back to the city. They took Amy immediately to the healers there, and Galadriel sent word to Rivendell. Amy remained unconscious, and the healers there could do nothing for her.
Two weeks after the battle, Elrond arrived in Lothlórien. He'd ridden hard, alone, surviving on lembas usually eaten without stopping. The guards met him on the borders with a fresh horse and rushed him to Caras Galadon. Galadriel met him as he entered the city.
"Thank you for coming, Elrond. Almare is unconscious, but no worse than when I contacted you. You are anxious to see her, but take a moment at least to eat something." She offered bread and cold meat, which he finished in moments. As he ate, she continued. "You have traveled hard to get here so quickly. Our healers are looking after her, but there is little more than can be done save wait." She watched Elrond's face closely as she spoke and saw the pain in his eyes. "You care for her deeply."
Elrond dropped his eyes at this, but nodded. "Yes, I do."
"Good." Elrond looked up sharply. "Do not think I would begrudge either of you happiness. Time is pressing, so I will be blunt. You are both alone, and it would be ridiculous to deny what you feel simply because you fear offending me. My daughter is dead and gone. We have grieved her, but now it is time to move on."
"I fear I have already waited too long."
"She is not dead yet. Come, I will take you to her."
Elrond stuffed the last bit of bread into his mouth. Galadriel smiled to herself at the less than dignified behavior, then led him to the humans' talans, where Amy was housed with the younger women. They had insisted she stay there so they could be close to her.
All six of the young people were there, sitting in the central area. Beth and Kim were working on embroidery, and the others were just talking. They all gasped a little to see Elrond, especially as disheveled as he was from travel. Beth cleared her throat, and the other humans took the hint. They gathered their things and headed for the men's talan.
Elrond walked into the side chamber where Amy was laying. Galadriel squeezed his shoulder, then left the room. Elrond leaned over her and brushed dark hair back from her pale face. He drew the covers back just enough to check the shoulder wound. Amy moaned slightly when he probed it with his fingers, but didn't wake. He reflected back on his life since she'd returned to Middle Earth. He'd been consumed with meaningless pursuits, and then she'd come along. When he'd finally kissed her, it had scared him enough that he'd been glad she'd gone to Lothlórien, but now, with her injury, he felt guilty about letting her go, as if he could have known or could have prevented it. The time apart had made him realize he would never be content alone, and news of her injury had shaken him to the core. It had finally made him realize just how much he cared about her, and reminded him that he might not have another chance to tell her so.
Galadriel had Amy moved to another talan, still close to the humans, so Elrond could stay with her all night without disturbing anyone. Galadriel frequently ordered him to sleep and had meals sent up for him. Two weeks passed with little change. One evening, Elrond returned from taking a short walk at Galadriel's insistence. He sat down on the edge of Amy's bed.
Sighing deeply, he began to talk. "I know you probably cannot hear me, Almare, but I must speak what is on my heart." He took one of her hands, disturbingly cold, as they had been for weeks. "I was a fool not to appreciate you before. I fear I have waited too long and now you are beyond my reach. I have done everything in my power to help you, and yet it is not enough." He clenched his free hand. "I wish I could have been with you, could have protected you, but I suppose you would say that you need no protection. You have been so successful on your own, and I wonder sometimes if you would even want a companion. I feel so alone. Perhaps you have found a way to be content alone. I cannot find it. These past weeks have made me realize just how much I love you. I pray the Valar will give me the opportunity to say that to you when you can hear me." Elrond trailed off, unable to say anything more. Eventually, he lay down beside her on the bed and fell asleep, exhausted.
Amy felt as if she were underwater. Everything was dark and haloed with pain. She couldn't move, but she could hear Elrond speaking. The voice seemed distant at first, but soon became clearer. She wanted to shout that she could hear him, but she couldn't make her body function. He stopped talking, and she wanted to beg him to continue. She felt the bed shift when he laid down beside her, but she could barely feel his arms around her. In her mind, she screamed in frustration, but everything went black again.