DISCLAIMER: These characters: Legolas, etc., do not belong to me. They are the property of J.R.R. Tolkien, and I am using them for no money-making purposes.
~~~~~~ CHAPTER 2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'' -- means thought
"" -- means spoken words
* -- means that there's a translation or explanation at the end
[] -- means translation from elvish into English
In the mean time...
"There!"
* Faentelch's cry snapped her out of her musings. The young elf warrior, that had the latest joined their company traveling to Lothlorien, was very excited about finally seeing Caras Galadhon, the fair city. His enthusiasm was so great that it started pushing everyone else's nerves.
** Celair, ***Imlach, and ****Rhimnur all groaned. As much as they liked the forest, and as great as their love was for their kindred, this youngster was very close to getting his tongue chopped off, just for them to have some moments of silence.
But Losseas simply chuckled at the exasperating looks the seasoned ones were throwing at Faentelch. He, to his credit, seemed not to notice. Or he didn't care. 'That would be a difficult feat, even for one as brave as he is' she thought with amusement.
"How much farther is it?"
"We should be there by the next dawn. Calm yourself, Faentelch; you are not marching to your Trial!" The group laughed at Rhimnur's mocking words, but soon their joy was wiped away by the same voice that brought it onto them.
"Yrch!!!" [Orcs!!!]
No more encouragement was needed for the archers to draw out their bows and arrows.
"Stay close together, do not allow them to lead us back, but do not take them closer to Lorien!" Losseas shouted out her orders, and took her position in the front of the small company. As the highest ranking of them, she had the lead; if anything went wrong, it would be her to blame.
"There must be over 40 of those disgusting creatures."
"Yes, Faentelch, but we are 5 elves!" Imlach said nothing more and fallowed the princess into battle. The rest were close.
They were doing well. The orcs were indeed almost 40, but it wasn't a problem for experienced warriors. Faentelch had only come of age 13 years ago, and the others had agreed to bring him along because they did not expect an attack, especially when they were so close to Lorien.
But the nearly impossible had happened, and their youngest fighter was on his back, ready to get stabbed by an orcish blade. Lucky for him that Celair caught sight of his predicament, and launched an arrow in the creature's back. The only other warrioress, except for Losseas, was beginning to get close to Faentelch. So much that the two rarely were seen apart from each other, though she was much older than he.
"Thank you" he whispered, getting up to his feet, but Celair did not answer. She was to busy fighting off two orcs, and soon he found himself in the same situation.
After beheading another beast, Losseas spared a quick glance around, to see how the rest were doing. 'Good. Only a few more, and then we should be safe until we reach Lorien. They do not travel in great numbers of packs' she considered, and returned to slaughtering orcs.
If for the most it was something dreadful and feared, then for her is was a sure way of getting other troubles out of mind, at least for a few minutes. At home, their father was about to get some bad news from Eskil, and the fact that it was the wizard delivering them only made it worse.
Legolas and she were aware that Mithrandir was coming, and of the tidings he bore. But decided to let no one know. It was better like that. For a time soon shall come, just as their grandmother had told them, when the rings will be needed in hiding. If they were to break the news upon Middle-earth now, especially to Thranduil, there was no hope for the future.
After only about 10 minutes, the fighting ended. Every orc lay on the ground, a mortal wound inflicted on each. The only injury in the group was a cut on Faentelch's left arm, but it wasn't very deep. In 3 days is should heal enough, and it would not hinder his maneuvering of the bow.
"We should take rest now, and continue our journey by the morrow"
"With all respect, my Lady, we should not linger on my behalf. I am fit enough to travel. It is a mere scratch" His voice was trembling, but determined.
"That I know, Faentelch, but there is no reason for rush. Besides, it is getting dark. If there are any other orcs out there, we would not wish to encounter them on such terms."
To that he could not answer, but instead lowered his head, disappointed that he would not see Caras Galadhon just yet. Losseas felt a pang of sympathy for his eagerness, remembering how she and Legolas have been very impatient when first in the surrounding area of that city.
"It is only one day" she added, surprising herself and the others with her soothing, low tone of voice. But it worked and Faentelch seemed more at peace.
The night passed quickly by them.
Losseas flew from memory to memory, as is the manner of elvish dreams. But, when morning approached, a vision caught her mind.
She saw Legolas and Mithrandir, talking with Thranduil. They were having an argument. She tried to pursue her brother in order to find out what was happening, but something disturbed her sleep.
Her eyes refocused and soon found the cause of the sudden awakening. *****Celebgil was poking her with his muzzle, and pulling her golden hair.
With an irritated wave of her hand she sent the stallion away. He whinnied in response and stomped his foot. Losseas stared at him, seriously considering taking an arrow and... 'No, that would not be a very good idea. There is still a long way to Lorien'. She sighed and pulled herself up.
"What is it, Celebgil?
She received no reply, the horse clearly upset because of the earlier neglecting. "If you feel the need to ride, restrain yourself a while longer. As soon as we are all awake, we shall ride to Lorien"
That obviously made the horse happy. He whinnied again, this time in a more merry tone.
Imlach stirred in his bedroll, and soon was fully aware.
"Maer aur, Losseas" [Good morning] he greeted her, cheerful.
"Maer aur"
The seasoned elf noticed her distant look, and became worried. It was rare when the youngest twin children of king Thranduil became deeply drowned in thought, and those few moments always signaled danger approaching.
"Is something amiss?"
She kept her eyes on the distant horizon, but answered "No, all is well"
"Come now, my friend. I have known you for too much long a time to be fooled so easily"
His voice was soft, not at all like a more experienced warrior, talking to a youngster, like herself. Losseas was very proud of the relationship Legolas and she had with the warriors of the kingdom. All were equal, and friends above else. The only time when rank was pulled was when in the presence of Thranduil; he always considered that a man working for you will work better if he can sense that you are his master. Never were these words spoken, but the king's attitude showed them clearly.
"I do not worry for us, Imlach. It is home that troubles me."
"There is danger? Then perhaps we should return..."
"No, my friend, they are safe. At least for awhile. And even then it shall not be an attack that we can see. It will take most by surprise, and then it might be devastating" she added, her mind not on what she was saying.
A heavy sigh escaped from the princess when she realized that she had revealed more than what was needed. Imlach wanted to ask more, but she stopped him, noticing the worry in his fair features. "Please, mellon nin. [my friend] Do not ask of me for details. Know that it shall be great, but it could be good. There is a chance that it will aid the Eldar, if all passes as it should"
Just as the last word was spoken, Rhimnur awoke with a yawn. "Up, already?"
"Already? It is well past dawn!" the cheerful voice of Losseas startled Imlach. 'Perhaps it is nothing. But I can not send these thoughts away... Something must be wrong'
"It is not that late!" Rhimnur replied. He was closer to Losseas's age, and so the two got along the best. Having the same mischievous personalities helped a lot.
"Up, you lazy elves!" he shouted, receiving a rock in the thigh from Celair, and a curse under the breath from Faentelch.
"Ouch, that really hurt! Couldn't you have thrown a stick!?"
"Well..." she began, moving her eyes to a log nearby.
Rhimnur followed her line of sight and soon understood. "I changed my mind! Thank you, Celair, daughter of Ruunya, for only throwing a rock, not a log." His face was very serious, and he made a low bow, in respect and gratitude.
The group laughed and got ready for the road to Lorien.
"Tell me again about the city, Imlach. Please!"
"Faentelch, I, and the rest of us each, have told you a hundred times by now! A few more hours and you shall see for yourself." The eldest of them was getting annoyed. Until then, he had been the only one with enough patience to listen, AND answer Faentelch's questions. Now, however, the thin line has been crossed.
Those `few hours` passed quickly, all trying hard to block out Faentelch's voice, and with that purpose retreating to the silence of their own mind.
Losseas thought of contacting her brother, but then decided to delay that until they reached Lorien. Danger may still be at every turn, and it would not be wise to ignore that possibility, or harsh consequences could come.
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*Faentelch -- the name means 'radiant stem' in Sindarin
**Celair -- the name means 'brilliant' in Sindarin
***Imlach -- the name means 'flame within' in Sindarin
****Rhimnur -- the name means 'deep mountain-lake' in Sindarin
*****Celebgil -- the name means 'silver spark' in Sindarin
Note: I know, I know! The meanings of the names don't mean much! But I chose THESE names because they mean what they mean, so I thought you would like to know...