Sorry for the late update, been busy with work now that I am on break, long long days of very hard labor at the farm!! Yes, I work on a farm, lol.
Debby: thanks for reviewing! I likes elves, but I had trouble with them in this part. You'll see…
Rabid Locust: No, no relation…lol, just abbreviated, sorry. Yeah, now that u mention it, it is kinda like Beauty & the Beast. Never written romance, hope it turns out good ^_^
Bettina: yeah, beginning was tough for me too! Thanks for your comments!! I never realized Garak's name with DS9 – LOL!! I used to watch that, and that was my fav. Chara! How appropriate! Thanks!!
Megami: I like the romance bit, but u'll see in this chappie, how things go for them! Not a big fan of everything be all "peaches and cream" so, I like angst…heh… Thanks for your comments!!
Weirdlet: Hey, thanks, it's a new idea I wanted to try out, Uruks never get any attention and I felt bad for them *hugs Garak* ^_^
Boromir'sBabe: Yea!! You're back! *hugs BB* thanks for reviewing, *pokes at pile of hankies* hmm… Don't cry too hard, all will be well!! ^_~
Chapter 11
Arrival and DepartureFrom that night on, the wargs left them alone. The two of them, Uruk-hai and human continued their trek to the Elven city of Imladris. Garak's wound no longer troubled him, but Kay's still pained her though it was slowly healing with Garak's stitching. Things said and done that night were pushed to the backs of both their minds, each thinking the other had forgotten.
"Garak, when will we reach Rivendell?" Kay asked as she walked beside her significantly larger companion. He looked down at her, his eyes no longer dark, but a calmer dark gray. His features too had softened he now looked less horrible and cruel. He smiled softly at her.
"We should be there by this evening," he answered and the girl grinned. Garak couldn't get over how young she seemed now and again; she was so mature during fights or when times were stressful. He had to keep reminding himself that she had just barely reached her majority. "Kay, how old are you?" he asked.
"Eighteen," she said, cocking her head to one side. "You?" She returned. Garak hesitated, thinking.
"I am not sure, really. I was formed and brought to life in the dungeons of Orthanc only a few months ago. Yet there are times when I can barely recall life before the darkness," he paused, his brow creasing.
"You mean that you can remember your life before you were made into an Uruk-hai?" Kay asked and he nodded.
"But only in vague flashes, in feelings, not direct memories. I was always curious as to who I was before I came into darkness, my other past life. I was always different from the others in that way, they served and fought without question, I always questioned. I wondered what my true name was…" he faded off. Kay walked beside him carefully studying his expression. After a minute, Garak shook his head, returning to the present. "It doesn't matter now," he said gruffly. "I am who I am: Garak."
"But you're not who you used to be!" Kay said, coming in front of him, halting the larger person. She looked up into his eyes, trying to convey her point. "You are different from the others, you said it yourself. It may be that you can return to who you were, to a certain extent at least," she said. Garak looked down at the girl before him, his lips set in a grim line.
"I am not as sure as you are, Kay. Though I may be changed in thought and temperament, I am still an Uruk-hai, a creature of the darkness, a monster – OW!" he ruefully rubbed his arm where Kay had hit him, hard. The girl had her hands balled into fists, her eyes sparked with anger.
"Don't you ever say that again, Garak! I mean it! You are not a monster, or a creature. You are a person, with feelings and a heart!" She hit his chest with both of her fists, though not to hurt, and left them there. "We established that last night, you are not just an Uruk-hai, you are a real person, a decent person. It doesn't matter what you look like on the outside, you feel the same emotions as any other human, hobbit or elf! Don't you say that about yourself! Don't you dare!" By this time the girl was crying, tears streamed unheeded down her cheeks but she continued to stare with passion and fire into his own eyes.
Garak was startled; he hadn't known his words would cause such a reaction. Kay bent her head, resting it against his broad chest.
"You are more than that, Garak, and you can become even more, you just have to try," she whispered. Garak put his arms around her, following his instinct and what felt right. They stood like this for an unmeasured amount of time, it could have been minutes, it could have been years, but it didn't matter to them. For just that amount of time, they both felt complete. Garak stroked the girl's short hair, letting it run through his large black fingers. He became entranced by the texture of it, and the contrast of her dark blonde strands against his dark hand. His fingers ran though its length, but he became startled when he saw his sharp, jagged nails. He tensed and began to pull away, but Kay tightened her grip, refusing to let him go. Garak sighed, defeated and settled to just holding her.
After a while he felt Kay relax, then she raised her head to look up at him. She had to strain her neck, for she only came to his chest. She smiled tiredly up at him and he gave a weak smile in return.
"Is this how its going to be with us? It seems we end everything in each other's arms," he said, jokingly. Kay smiled a bit more, and snuggled closer to Garak's warmth.
"You won't find me complaining," she said. Garak shook his head, and then looked around. It was becoming late; he wanted to reach Rivendell before this night. Suddenly, there was a prickling on the back of his neck. Garak tensed and Kay looked up again, confused. She saw the wary look in his eyes. "More wargs?" she whispered. He nodded stiffly.
"We are close to Rivendell if we go my way, I am going to carry you again, I will be able to outrun them," he said in a low voice. Kay nodded her ascent. In one swift move, Garak had the girl up in his arms and was off through the forest at a sprint. Kay held onto his neck, closing her eyes, fear creeping up on her. She could hear the howls of the horrid creatures echo through the trees, but Garak did not stop.
Suddenly, one snarling creature leapt out of the undergrowth at them. Garak roared and knocked it away with one arm, transferring Kay to his other arm, like he had when taking her from the orcs. He drew his sword without stopping, slicing the neck of a warg to his right. They were trying to surround them again. One leapt at them from in front. Kay cried out in warning and Garak lifted his blade to defend.
But it fell with an inhuman wail just before it reached the; an arrow quivered in its neck. Garak continued his run, more arrows shot around them, the wargs falling left and right. A large weight fell against Garak's back causing him to stumble and fall. He twisted so he wouldn't fall on the girl, but she fell from his grasp, skidding and rolling away, coming to a halt in front of a large tree. Something snarled behind him and Garak swung his blade around, but the warg was already dead, three arrows sticking out of its side. As more arrows flew, Garak crawled over to Kay, dragging his sword.
"Are you alright?" he asked above the howls. She nodded, though fear shone in her eyes.
"Who is shooting?" she asked. Garak peered up into the boughs of the trees, just barely catching a glimpse of a camouflaged figure pulling and releasing an arrow.
"Elves, they are elves, we must have made it to the borders of Rivendell," he grinned. Kay smiled. She could hear voices now; the wargs were either dead or retreating into the forest. They spoke in the same musical language that Legolas and Aragorn used sometimes. Garak sighed heavily. "You are safe now," he breathed. The voices now were urgent.
Suddenly, Garak heard the distinct whistle of a shaft heading his way and brought up his sword to deflect it. Kay gasped. The elves were shouting something in their native tongue to each other. Another arrow came, hitting the earth to Garak's right, another to his left. He growled, glaring up into the trees.
"Why are they shooting at us?" Kay asked. Garak looked down at her again.
"Not at us, at me!" he said with a growl. More arrows came, most striking the ground around them, but one or two grazed his shoulders and arms. Garak hissed in pain.
"Stop it! He is a friend! Stop firing!" Kay cried up into the trees. The voices shouted something back, but she couldn't understand them. The arrows continued to fall. Garak caught sight of a few shadowy figures making their way to them. They would kill him; they thought it was trying to hurt Kay.
"Kay, I must go, they can't understand us!" he said. Kay caught his eyes, her own wide. She shook her head.
"No," she whispered. Garak sheathed his sword, hissing again as another arrow grazed his shoulder.
"I have to go! They will kill me without a second thought!" he gripped the girl's shoulders. The elves called something again. "Kay! I will come back! I promise, I will return to you! You will be safe here; I will come back. Some day, I will!" he said fervently. Kay shook her head, her entire body shaking with emotion. "I promise, Kaylen, I will find you again! I love you!" and he pressed his lips to hers, firmly. But it only lasted a second as an arrow struck him full in the shoulder. Garak roared in pain.
"No! Garak!" Kay screamed. He looked at the girl one last time, then, with pain in his eyes, he leapt up and ran off into the darkness. Kay was left there, on the cold ground. She looked at her hand; Garak's leather gauntlet had come off in her palm. She clutched it as one would a lifeline.
It began to rain.
"Garak…" she whispered, but no one answered her. She looked off into the darkness, searching for any sign of her companion, but there was none. The arrows had ceased their flying and the forest was silent. Kay sat there, shivering as the rain soaked through Garak's cloak. The rain mixed with her tears. "GARAK!!!" she screamed.
Stumbling, she got to her feet, and began to run after him. She tripped and fell into the mud. "Come back…" she whispered, tears choking her words.
The Rivendell elves jumped lightly to the ground from where they had been perched in the trees. They gathered their arrows that were salvageable, while one with dark hair walked lightly over to the fallen girl. He knelt beside her, reaching out and touched her shoulder. She spun on him, startled. When Kay saw who it was, anger like a roaring fire filled her eyes. Kay hit him with her fists, though it did little more that startle him.
"You bastard! He was my friend!" she screamed beating at the elf's chest, fruitlessly. Finally, he grabbed her wrists in a tight grip, but she struggled against him. "I hate you!!" The elf didn't know what to do and called out to his comrades. After a while Kay's strength died and she slumped against the elf. He was whispering strange words in elvish to her, but she didn't understand them, nor did she care. Something was wrapped around her shoulders, but it didn't register in her blank, cold mind. She was devoid of any emotion, and she just stared out into the dark, through the rain. Kay did not struggle when she was lifted and placed on a horse, nor did she speak a word when a strong arm wrapped around her middle. She felt the beast under her begin to move swiftly, but she just continued to stare, tears still running unchecked down her face.
It felt like a part of her was missing, a huge void in her heart.
~I will come back! ~ Garak's voice came to her mind, as if on a wind. ~I promise, Kaylen! I will find you again! ~ "I hear you…" ~I love you…~ "Garak…" and she succumbed to the dark wave of oblivion that pulled her down. He had said it, he said it, he said it…
*
Lord Elrond ran down the steps of the Last Homely House, when he saw three of his border patrol riding swiftly to the city. The elf in the lead held a figure on his horse. As they neared, the elf lord saw it was a human, though they were covered in mud and wearing a cloak, sewed crudely up to serve as a shift. It was hard to tell the gender, for they had short hair. The lead ride trotted up to him and dismounted, pulling the human down with him, holding them in his arms.
"My lord, we saved her from an Uruk-hai and a band of wargs, she may not be right in mind. She attacked me when I came to her, I …think… she called me a 'bastard'," said the elf.
"Is she injured, Gwalhir?" asked Elrond. The elf shook his head.
"I do not think so, sir, though her arm is bandaged, it looks to be healing. I think she may be in shock, the creature kissed her before he ran off, she may have been in foul hands for a long time," Gwalhir said with disgust. Elrond nodded.
"Take her to the healing rooms, I will care for her," he ordered. He followed the elf up the stairs into the House. The girl was laid down on a comfortable bed in the Healing room and Elrond dismissed the patrol elf. The half-elf sat on the bed beside the young girl, stripping her off the dirty, torn garment. She would need a bath before any real healing was done. A flash of silver caught his eye and he bent down to look more closely. It was a bracelet of dwarvish make, and familiar at that. Pressing the hidden clasp, he took it in his hand and examined the piece of jewelry. On the inside was an inscription, the maker's mark. It translated from the dwarvish runes to 'Gimli'. That was the dwarf who went with the Fellowship! Had this girl come into contact with them at some point?
Elrond set the bracelet aside and called to one of the servants to bring him a sponge and a bowl of warm water. As he gently scrubbed the dirt and grime from her body he saw a small scar on her upper left arm, healed well. He untied the bandage from her right forearm, examining the stitching; it was crude, but not bad. What perplexed him though was that a wound like that was made by oneself. Had she tried to kill herself while with the Uruk? No, it was not a suicide wound, it did not follow the vein, and it was too high.
Elrond frowned and continued washing her. When he moved to her hands, he saw that she was clutching something in her palm. Gently, he turned her wrist. It was a leather gauntlet, an Uruk-hai one too. Elrond tried to pry it from her fingers, but she just held on tighter.
"No, Garak," the girl moaned. "Don't go…" Garak? It was an orcish name. The girl tossed her head in the throes of a dream. Elrond was confused, for he saw no darkness on her or in her, she was not tainted. Not like his wife, no this was different, more complicated. The girl moaned, calling out the strange name. Elrond stroked her hair.
"Lasto bethnin, toro nan na galad,"1 he whispered. The girl quieted, and slipped into peaceful slumber. Elrond finished washing her, and covered her with a warm blanket. "You have arose many questions, child, I hope that when you wake, you can answer them for me," said the elf lord. He sat by her side through the night, tending her wound and watching her sleep.
Kay slept on, unknowing of what was going on around her. But deep in her heart, the void remained, and the one who filled it before was moving further and further away.
*
Miles away from Imladris, Garak loped along the barren countryside. He had tended his arrow wounds, but the pain was nothing compared to the pain that throbbed in his heart. He ran northwest, not heeding any sort of direction. But as he ran, if one took the time to look, they would see the tears that streamed down his black, misshaped face. But as they fell, they cleansed, the new blood, given freely by the human girl pumped in his veins. Garak could feel himself changing, inside and out.
What would be the outcome, there was no way of telling. The two hearts that had become one through darkness and danger, trust and blood were now apart, but not divided. Never would they be divided. But the question still, can they be together in life as well?
** A/N – You like? You like?? Review me!!! I will leave you hear for now, see what your reactions are, but don't worry, this is not what fate has in store for our Kay and Garak. There will be more, it just may take me a while to get it up. Have a good holiday to all!!! ^_^
1 Shamelessly stolen from movie: Hear my voice, come back to the light.