Part 7
The travelers stood in a semi circle around Aragorn who has his ear to the ground.
"Is he okay?"
"Maybe the running has finally got to him and he's taking a break."
"He's listening to where the Orcs are traveling."
"Huh, like in the movies where they lay and listen for hoof beats? Willow, since your magick is connected to the earth can't you tell where a huge horde of butt ugly creatures are running?"
"Probably but . . . you know don't want to interrupt or use magick where not wanted or needed." Willow got closer to Buffy and whispered, "Their pace has picked up. I can't tell where they are traveling just that they're traveling faster."
Aragorn rises, "Their pace quickens. They must have caught our scent."
"Score one for Willow!"
Aragorn looks at Buffy quizzically.
"Nothing, just a girl thing." Buffy adds with a smile.
"Come we must hurry. They are a half a day at least in front of us."
"Great more running." Willow and Gimli took off behind the others.
The runners traveled over rocky plains while covering much ground. They were gaining ground but still didn't catch up with the Orcs when Aragorn suddenly veered off track.
"Where's he going?"
"Dunno, he must have seen something."
Aragon leans down and looks at something on the ground. The others gather around him again.
"Looking for tracks?"
Aragron shakes his head no and holds out his hand. Lying on his palm is a small brooch that looks like a leaf. Willow looks from the brooch to Legolas.
"That looks like the pin you're wearing."
"Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall."
"Do you think Merry or Pippin dropped it?"
Legolas nodded. "They may yet still be alive."
"Well then let's move it. We can catch them." Buffy takes off running with Legolas and Aragorn close behind.
Willow rolls her eyes and follows Gimli. "Do you think it'll do too much damage if I conjure us up a horse?"
Gimli points to the distance. "Ahead is Rohan. They are the horse-lords."
"So, you're saying it won't do too much damage? I mean what's one more horse right?"
Gimli laughed, "We will be able to get a horse naturally, Lady Willow when we reach Rohan."
They reach a rise and see Legolas looking into the distance.
"They are heading Northeast, towards Isengard."
"You can see that far?" Willow asked as she came up beside him.
He smiled down at her, "There are many talents that Elves possess."
Willow blushed a bright red.
Legolas laughed, "We may investigate that further, but I meant speed, vision and song."
Willow looked into his twinkling eyes. "Why do I get the feeling you deliberately tease me?"
"Because he is an Elf and that is another talent that they posses."
Oh great, someone to witness her embarrassment. At least her back was to Gimli so he wouldn't have seen her blush. "Is the break over?"
"Unfortunately yes, Aragorn says we must hurry."
"Of course he does."
"Do you grow tired, Melde? We can rest longer if you need it."
It would be great to rest but she knew the lives of their friends hung in the balance. "No, I'll be fine. I'm carrying less weight now anyway."
Gimli laughed and Legolas looked confused. Willow reached up and patted his cheek. "A private joke between Gimli and myself. By the way what does Melde and Maranwe mean? You've called me both."
Gimli smiled and looked at Legolas, "I'll leave you to have this conversation."
Willow watched Gimli leave. "Is it that bad?"
Legolas lips quirked, "No, but it is private."
He kept his pace slow and stayed beside Willow. "Maranwe means destiny. When we were in Lothlorien and I helped you stand I received flashes of pictures. Of you and me. Elves believe in a destined one. It is very rare to find and it is especially rare for it to be Elven kind and human. Arwen and Aragorn are an exception, now it seems so am I."
He glanced over at Willow to see her reaction to that news.
He was relieved to see a soft smile on her beautiful face.
Willow thought about what Legolas said. It gave her tingles to think that this beautiful, sensitive man thought that she was his destiny. She knew that Elves were long lived and wondered if she had never been sent back to Middle Earth if they would have met anyway.
She turned to look at him and saw his concerned gaze on her. She softly smiled, "We have something similar, it's called soulmates. When you took my hand that evening I felt something go through me. I didn't receive flashes and I just thought it was my magick reacting to your Elvish magick. I'm not like Buffy that guys fall all over themselves to get to."
Legolas felt shock that this beautiful woman did not know her true wealth. He was just glad the men in her reality were short sighted and didn't see the beauty that was her soul.
"And melde what does that mean?"
"I see if I am going to keep talking in my tongue I will need to teach you Quenyanna."
Willow smiled, "I'd like that. Now quit stalling and tell me what melde means."
Legolas blushed and Willow was intrigued. Maybe it meant something sexy and he was embarrassed to tell her.
"You are the first that it felt natural to call melde. Roughly translated it is beloved."
"That's beautiful. So you'll teach me Queyanna?"
Legolas took it as a very good sign that Willow wanted to learn the language of his people.
"I will teach you Queyanna and if you truly would like to learn about the Elf culture you should learn how to shoot a bow. We are all excellent marksmen." His eyes were twinkling as he thought of standing behind Willow and showing her how to shoot a bow. Hopefully it will take a long time to teach her.
Pictures of Legolas standing behind her showing her how to shoot a bow floated through Willow's mind. No way was she going to tell him that she's been shooting a crossbow since she was fifteen. He might decide she didn't need lessons.
"That sounds like it could come in handy. Some demons in my reality are immune to magick so weapons were a necessity."
"You have used weapons before?"
Willow kicked herself. Think first, talk second. "Not a lot since Buffy was always around."
Aragorn had signaled for them to stop.
"We will camp here tonight."
Willow and Buffy looked around and all they could see was a grassy plain with some outcroppings of rocks.
"Where?"
"We will take shelter next to those rocks."
Buffy mumbled, "Yippee."
She didn't want to complain too loudly for she knew that they were all concerned for their friends. If it had been her friends that were taken she didn't think she'd even stop for rest. She looked over her shoulder to Willow and noticed that her friend was looking very tired. Buffy quietly made her way to Willow.
"You okay?"
Willow smiled tiredly at Buffy, "I'm okay. I just need to rest my eyes for a minute. Legolas is going to teach me to use the bow."
Willow lay down and was soon asleep. Buffy softly stroked her hair while she slept.
Legolas sat down next to her. "She overtaxes herself."
"She knows how important it is for you to get to Merry and Pippin as soon as you can. I think the portal travel and the running are taking their toll on her. At least she hasn't used her magick while here."
"Does her magick drain her?"
"Sometimes. When she went up against a powerful demon and won she was tired for a week."
Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn looked at Buffy in shock.
"She is that powerful?"
"When she has a motive."
"What was her motive?"
Buffy smiled sadly, "Me."
They could see the memory was painful for her so they didn't question her further though they were very curious.
