"So Brianna, what does your name mean?" Legolas asked as they followed the
Men along the road, his chin resting on her head.
"It means 'the warrior maid'. My eldest brother William said it was true because I always got into fights with the boys of my village, then he'd have to come and rescue me." She smiled fondly, her good memories awash with pain.
"Why did you get into fights?" He asked amused.
"Saving cats from drowning or just wanton cruelty. I can never stand to see someone hurting helpless animals. William always called me 'his little hunting cat', so for my birthday he gave me this necklace." She twisted around in her seat to show him. "He made it himself, he was apprenticed to the smith in our village and he was very good at fine work. And see," She lifted her hair and turned back around to show him the clasp, "here's a scared little mousey. You take the acorn out of his paws to take off the necklace. Cute, hey?" Her voice trembled.
"Excellent." Legolas commented softly, "Your brother had the soul of an artist. I wish that he had met the Elves before he died. He would have been appreciated for his gifts."
Brianna's lip trembled and then tears started to roll down her face. "I miss him so badly. He always understood, no one else ever did, not even Mother. Do you want to know how he died?" She asked softly with all the pain of a grieving heart behind her question. Her eyes went numb and her face was stiff as the tears continued, "He was teasing me, and holding the necklace above my head. He was so tall and he had hair like yours, and green eyes like mine. I am so short, like my Da that he always towered above me. It was my birthday party, and he was giving me my present. Then the Ring Wraith and the Orcs came. He turned around, dropping my necklace. I caught it in my outstretched hands. He went for his smith's hammer as the Ring Wraith approached, because he'd just come from the forge and the necklace was still warm with the heat of the fires. The Ring Wraith just lifted his sword and sliced him in half."
Legolas' arm tightened about her waist as he sucked in a breath.
"I never thought that that was possible. You hear about in minstrels' tales, but I didn't think you could actually do it. His blood is still on my dress that my Ma made especially for my 16th birthday party. I didn't have a chance to change into anything else, so I'm still wearing it. He wavered and then fell over, like a tree toppling to the ground." She continued quietly, eyes staring ahead with tears pouring from them unheeded.
"And what of your betrothed?"
"Not my betrothed by choice. In my village, if a single man and his friends find you alone, he can 'claim' you."
"Claim?"
"By spreading my legs and taking me by force," Her mind flashes to that hot summer afternoon, when berry picking for her mother, she had been the one claimed despite her pleas for him to stop, "Thomas staked his claim on me and I had to marry him a week after my birthday. My father owned the land next to Thomas' father, so he approved because it would combine some of the land. My dowry was to be a strip of land that ran between the two. So part of my capture was good, but mostly bad. Thomas was always panting after me, and I laughed at him. I had wanted to marry another boy of my village, Adair, because he was gentle and kind. I think I could have loved him, if I'd had the chance. He was the best of a bad choice, because the best man in my village was my brother William. Thomas liked to drown kittens. He'd drag it out, letting them take a breath then pushing them back under. He wasn't nice." She finished softly, her voice tight with pain.
"Dear Elbereth, what were the people of your village, barbarians? To let, nay encourage men to take women by force? How bestial, no, not bestial because even the animals do not take each other by force!" Legolas said in a horrified voice, his eyes glinting angrily. This slight girl in his arms had endured atrocities that could not be dealt with in an Elven lifetime, "How long do you think you'll live? How old was your mother when you left her and what did she look like?"
"Ma was 38 or so I think, but you'd swear she was 20 or something. All the other women in our village were green with envy because she didn't need to dye her hair or anything. Ma said it was 'cause of her Elven blood. Da was going gray and she still looked so young next to him. So the answer to your question is, I don't know. How long do Elves live?"
"Forever, barring accidents. Do you heal quickly?"
"Yes. When Thomas claimed me, he tore me a little. By the next morning the bleeding had stopped and the pain was gone." Legolas' fingers whitened as they gripped the reins. His horse shook its head in protest at the unusual heaviness and constraint of the reins as it continued to pick its way after the mounts of the Men.
"I think your mother and you have a good chance of living long lives, perhaps a few thousand or more. Maybe not as long as an Elf's, but long." Brianna's eyes widened.
"A few thousand? Dear God, how could I marry a human man, he would die and I would be left alone. And I can't marry an Elf."
"Why not?"
"They wouldn't accept me, and I'd be looked down on because I'm mostly human. Will I have to live alone forever, because I can't love anyone? And what about my mother, she will probably have an even longer life then mine."
"It means 'the warrior maid'. My eldest brother William said it was true because I always got into fights with the boys of my village, then he'd have to come and rescue me." She smiled fondly, her good memories awash with pain.
"Why did you get into fights?" He asked amused.
"Saving cats from drowning or just wanton cruelty. I can never stand to see someone hurting helpless animals. William always called me 'his little hunting cat', so for my birthday he gave me this necklace." She twisted around in her seat to show him. "He made it himself, he was apprenticed to the smith in our village and he was very good at fine work. And see," She lifted her hair and turned back around to show him the clasp, "here's a scared little mousey. You take the acorn out of his paws to take off the necklace. Cute, hey?" Her voice trembled.
"Excellent." Legolas commented softly, "Your brother had the soul of an artist. I wish that he had met the Elves before he died. He would have been appreciated for his gifts."
Brianna's lip trembled and then tears started to roll down her face. "I miss him so badly. He always understood, no one else ever did, not even Mother. Do you want to know how he died?" She asked softly with all the pain of a grieving heart behind her question. Her eyes went numb and her face was stiff as the tears continued, "He was teasing me, and holding the necklace above my head. He was so tall and he had hair like yours, and green eyes like mine. I am so short, like my Da that he always towered above me. It was my birthday party, and he was giving me my present. Then the Ring Wraith and the Orcs came. He turned around, dropping my necklace. I caught it in my outstretched hands. He went for his smith's hammer as the Ring Wraith approached, because he'd just come from the forge and the necklace was still warm with the heat of the fires. The Ring Wraith just lifted his sword and sliced him in half."
Legolas' arm tightened about her waist as he sucked in a breath.
"I never thought that that was possible. You hear about in minstrels' tales, but I didn't think you could actually do it. His blood is still on my dress that my Ma made especially for my 16th birthday party. I didn't have a chance to change into anything else, so I'm still wearing it. He wavered and then fell over, like a tree toppling to the ground." She continued quietly, eyes staring ahead with tears pouring from them unheeded.
"And what of your betrothed?"
"Not my betrothed by choice. In my village, if a single man and his friends find you alone, he can 'claim' you."
"Claim?"
"By spreading my legs and taking me by force," Her mind flashes to that hot summer afternoon, when berry picking for her mother, she had been the one claimed despite her pleas for him to stop, "Thomas staked his claim on me and I had to marry him a week after my birthday. My father owned the land next to Thomas' father, so he approved because it would combine some of the land. My dowry was to be a strip of land that ran between the two. So part of my capture was good, but mostly bad. Thomas was always panting after me, and I laughed at him. I had wanted to marry another boy of my village, Adair, because he was gentle and kind. I think I could have loved him, if I'd had the chance. He was the best of a bad choice, because the best man in my village was my brother William. Thomas liked to drown kittens. He'd drag it out, letting them take a breath then pushing them back under. He wasn't nice." She finished softly, her voice tight with pain.
"Dear Elbereth, what were the people of your village, barbarians? To let, nay encourage men to take women by force? How bestial, no, not bestial because even the animals do not take each other by force!" Legolas said in a horrified voice, his eyes glinting angrily. This slight girl in his arms had endured atrocities that could not be dealt with in an Elven lifetime, "How long do you think you'll live? How old was your mother when you left her and what did she look like?"
"Ma was 38 or so I think, but you'd swear she was 20 or something. All the other women in our village were green with envy because she didn't need to dye her hair or anything. Ma said it was 'cause of her Elven blood. Da was going gray and she still looked so young next to him. So the answer to your question is, I don't know. How long do Elves live?"
"Forever, barring accidents. Do you heal quickly?"
"Yes. When Thomas claimed me, he tore me a little. By the next morning the bleeding had stopped and the pain was gone." Legolas' fingers whitened as they gripped the reins. His horse shook its head in protest at the unusual heaviness and constraint of the reins as it continued to pick its way after the mounts of the Men.
"I think your mother and you have a good chance of living long lives, perhaps a few thousand or more. Maybe not as long as an Elf's, but long." Brianna's eyes widened.
"A few thousand? Dear God, how could I marry a human man, he would die and I would be left alone. And I can't marry an Elf."
"Why not?"
"They wouldn't accept me, and I'd be looked down on because I'm mostly human. Will I have to live alone forever, because I can't love anyone? And what about my mother, she will probably have an even longer life then mine."
