Chapter 7
SeparatedWhile the fellowship took break for midday, Kay decided to ask Gimli about Moria, since they were headed there. The dwarf looked at the girl like she was crazy but answered her questions.
"Moria, is a great mine but also a dwarven city. Our forefathers made it during the First Age. Now, my cousin Balin rules there," he said.
"But what do they mine?" asked Kay.
"Mithril, the most precious metal in Middle-Earth. It is lightweight, but so hard, nothing can break it," Gimli dipped his hand into his pouch and pulled out a beautifully crafted bracelet. "I made this when I was still young, it's a bit flawed," he said, frowning at the piece of silver. "I made a better one for my mother, she wears it now," he continued with a smile. The dwarf handed the bracelet to the girl and she handled it with great care. Kay examined the jewelry closely, turning it with her fingers.
"Its so light!" she whispered in awe. Gimli smiled at her fascination. Kay looked up at him. "Flawed?! This is beautiful, Gimli! I have never seen anything like it, the things we have where I come from are nothing like this," she said handing it back to Gimli. He shook his head.
"No, keep it, I have others," he said. Kay blinked in surprise.
"I – I couldn't…" she started but Gimli cut her off with a wave of his hand.
"Nonsense!" he took the bracelet from her, pressing a hidden clasp and the circlet popped open. Gimli took Kay's arm in his callused hand and fixed the silver around her forearm. With a click it clasped once more. Kay brought her arm up to her face, her eyes wide. Gimli looked thoughtful. "Hm, that's funny," he said thoughtfully. Kay looked at him, confused.
"What is?" she asked. Gimli stared into her eyes, suddenly very serious.
"I made this many years ago, one of my first pieces. Its flaw was that is never fit anyone's arm, not even my own, no matter how skinny or large, it was either too tight or too loose," he said. "It may be I made it with you in mind…" he added thoughtfully. Kay blushed, stammering. Gimli laughed. "No matter, consider it my gift to you, as a thank you for the many laughs and cheery nights you brought," he patted her arm. Kay smiled and threw her arms around the dwarf, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Now it was Gimli's turn to blush. Kay pulled back, her eyes sparkling and dancing.
"Thank you so much, Gimli, no one has ever given me something like this!" she said. Gimli grumbled and muttered under his breath, awkwardly patting her arm again. Kay laughed again, seeing she had made him uncomfortable.
Garak watched all this happen; careful not to make it obvious he was watching her. Kay and Gimli sat for a while longer talking about Moria and other dwarven cities. They were joined by the hobbits who were interested as well. Garak sat away from the group, thinking.
What was that girl's blood doing to him, inside. He felt different, like he was changing. Feelings he never felt and frightened him kept springing up inside and it confused the Uruk. An Uruk-hai was not supposed to feel these things, not feel anything at all except the thrill of the kill and the lust for blood. At first he had wanted her blood, to taste it again, but that feeling passed quickly. Now he was finding himself thinking about her more and more often, not her blood. About how she fought, why she had saved him, her smile….
Garak shook his head, clearing it of those thoughts. He cursed himself inwardly, for allowing such weakness. She was a human girl, barely more than a child. He – he was a monster, just as the elf had said in the beginning. Yet even when everyone was against him, Kay stood by him, defended him against her companions, her friends. He felt himself more drawn to the girl than ever before, by her charm, her spirit, her smile…
He kicked himself in his mind, trying to banish the thoughts of the girl – that impossible girl! – from his mind. Footsteps to his right and a voice made this now impossible.
"Garak, we're heading out," Kay said. Then, looking closer at the Uruk. "Is everything alright?" she asked. Garak growled menacingly.
"Everything is fine, girl, and I do not see where it is any of your business whether I am fine or not!" he said, glaring down at her from his superior height. Something clenched inside making him immediately regret his words. Kay flinched, not expecting the outburst. It seemed like the Uruk and her were getting along better, at least she thought they were. Her eyes widened and she stepped back from him. Seeing her fear, Garak wanted to reach out to her, tell her that he didn't mean it, to hold her again… He kept himself still. "I do not see why you keep insisting on being by my side, on talking with me. Was there some sort of sign? Did I ever insinuate that I wanted your company? I do not think so, girl, so why don't you go back to your little friends and leave me in peace with my own thoughts!" he nearly roared. Kay was now almost cowering away from him. She looked hurriedly away from him, taking a few deep breaths before meeting his dark gaze again.
"Well, excuse me for being concerned, Garak, its generally what friends do, they look out for each other, but I guess you wouldn't know that, would you. And you never will if you keep acting like an arrogant little prig!" Were those tears in her eyes? "No, I expect you'll just go through life with that high-and-mighty routine, but if you ever decide to join the real world, you know where you can find me: with considerate and kind people, real friends." She spun away from him, jogging till she caught up with Legolas, walking beside the elf.
Garak blinked, what had just happened? He followed at the back of the fellowship, alone. He watched Kay walk ahead of him, she and the elf talked in low voices, once or twice he looked back at Garak with an angry look, but it only lasted for a second. Legolas put an arm around Kay's shoulders, pulling the girl to him, soft sounds of crying reached Garak's ears. Why did he feel so bad? This was nothing new to him, but why did he feel jealous? That should be him holding Kay in his arms, not the elf! Whoa! Where did that come from? Garak shook his head, but he still felt odd about what he had said to the girl, was it remorse? Uruks can't feel sorry, they are never sorry! So, why did he want to run up to her, tear the girl from the elf's arms, hold her and apologize till his throat hurt?
Finally, as he watched, Kay nodded to something the elf had said and wiped her face, under her eyes. She pulled from his embrace, smiling up at him. They walked along that way, with Garak in the back, alone. He had always been alone, even since he awoke in the dungeons of Orthanc. So, why did it hurt so much now?
*
The fellowship had covered much ground that day, finding a spot to camp and rested their sore feet. They were still another day and a half from Moria. No one spoke to Garak and Kay stayed well away from him, sitting beside Merry and Pippin at supper.
Gandalf and Aragorn spoke in low voices about their choice of road, but he paid them little mind. What had happened between him and Kay earlier still nagged him in the back of his mind. He was about to get up and go over to the girl, when a sound from the surrounding forest made him draw his blade. Apparently the others had heard it as well, for they had their weapons ready as well. Suddenly, orcs erupted from the foliage, much more than before, nearly a hundred. Garak roared and charged head first into their midst. The battle lasted for a long time, and no one seemed to be winning. The hobbits fought valiantly with their long knives, Kay with her short sword. The elf loosed many arrows, felling the creatures as they charged. But the orcs just kept coming, there seemed to be no end to them.
A cry behind him made Garak turn. Three orcs had disarmed Kay and one bashed her over the head with the butt of his sword. Garak roared in rage, fighting with a new fury. But there was just too many of them, and he watched helplessly as the girl was picked up and carried away by the creatures into the dark. While he was distracted an orc managed to cut him with its blade. This only served to fuel his rage more. He beheaded the orc then put his sword into the fray with the others. Finally, they seemed to be dying down, many bodies littered the ground, but none where of the fellowship. The rest of the orcs ran off into the dark, screeching and howling. The fellowship was left alone to assess their wounds. No one was hurt too badly, except for a few cuts and bruises. But their loss was more than a physical wound.
"They have taken Kaylen," said Aragorn in a low voice. The hobbits gasped and looked among themselves, Pippin even started to cry. Legolas grabbed his bow.
"We must go after her!" he cried, but Aragorn caught his arm.
"And risk the Ring falling into their hands? No, Legolas we must go on, no matter how I loathe to do so, Kay would not have wanted us to deviate from our quest," he said. Garak growled low in his throat.
"Then continue with your quest, I will go after the girl," he said. Legolas spun around to face him; his fair face was contorted in anger.
"Haven't you done enough to her?!" he cried. Garak growled and with lightning fast movement had the elf by the collar of his tunic, holding the slim body up in the air.
"I never meant her harm, I don't know what came over me earlier. I was going to apologize right before the orcs attacked, I'll have you know," and he dropped the elf unceremoniously on his backside. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a trail to follow," and he turned his back on the fellowship.
"Wait!" Aragorn's voice stopped him in his tracks. The man reached his side, and with a moment's hesitation reached out and touched his arm. "I know about today, and I do not approve of your treatment of her," Garak growled warningly, but the man continued. "She was the one who showed you kindness beyond any belief, and you threw it in her face. But, I believe that you want to make it up to her," the man's eyes softened. "If you do find her, and she is alive, take her to Rivendell, I trust you know where that is," Garak nodded. "Good, she'll be taken care of there, by my foster father. She really likes you, Garak, she put her faith in you because she saw something worth saving in you, don't let her down," he said this last too low for the others to hear and Aragorn extended his hand to the Uruk. Garak looked down at the proffered hand, and then grasped it with his own, squeezing briefly. Garak nodded and then ran off in the direction the orcs went with Kay.
Aragorn returned to the fire with the others. Legolas joined him as did Gandalf, the Ranger knew what the elf would say.
"Aragorn, was that wise, he hurt her very badly today and I don't think…" Aragorn cut him off with a wave of his hand.
"I believe that Kay knew what she was doing when she saved him, he will save her, or die trying," he said. Gandalf nodded, sagely.
"Yes, there is a special bond between the two of them, and neither are aware of it yet and the means it came to be," said the wizard. "Even if we do not see those two again, I feel we can expect an… interesting outcome for their tale," there was a strange sparkle in the old man's eyes. Aragorn looked at him quizzically, but Gandalf just shook his head and took another puff of his pipe.
Whatever was to happen to Kay and Garak were now out of their hands. The quest to destroy the Ring was still theirs, however. And so, they would continue, but their minds would always look back to the girl who dropped from the sky and the creature she brought into the light.
**The story will continue, with Kay and Garak's tale, no more fellowship. Sorry, peeps! ^_^ Please keep reading for more, tell me what you think!**