Chapter 6
Kaolith had heard the words of the she-Elf as she was drifting off, and was even more confused. Things were completely jumbled inside her head, and her dreams reflected this. When the drug wore off, however, not much had changed. Aragorn still sat by her bedside, waiting to be there for her, knowing that it was not such a good idea for the child to wake up alone when she felt so lost.
"Who are you?" she asked again, looking fearfully at the man that sat with his head bowed in his hands, staving off sleep.
"I am Strider, little one. I am a Ranger."
"Are you here to save me from...from...him?" the hope in her eyes struck the man, for he still knew little of Hagley and his deeds.
"Rest little one, you need your strength." *Where did Selinde go? We need her help, she was the only one who could get through Kao's thick skull.*
"Is he coming back again?" Kaolith had sat up and drawn her knees to her chest and was starting to rock back and forth. "I just want to go home, why won't he let me? Doesn't he know that what he does hurts? Is he coming? He is, he's coming, I can hear his footsteps. Please hide me, please. I...I...I...ahhh," her rocking had knocked her off the bed, and she presently crawled under it, refusing to come out, even at Aragorn's pleas.
The footsteps that she had heard were getting louder and louder, and though Aragorn thought it impossible, the child curled up into an even smaller fetal ball.
"Estel! Selinde is gone. She took her horse from the stables, and the guards saw her leave the gates!"
Thunk.
A cry of pain was heard from under the bed as Kao hit her head.
Legolas, who had brought the news to Estel, stood looking dumbfounded in the doorway. "Why is she under the bed?" He asked.
"She heard your footsteps and thought you were Hagley." The Ranger swore to himself. "Please help me get her out."
Legolas came to the side of the bed and got down to talk with Kao. "Come on honey, come on out of there." Kao refused to budge.
Lord Elrond came to check on them a few minutes later, and found them such.
"Estel?" The soft question was spoken from the doorway.
"She's having those waking nightmares again, Ada. She won't come out."
Elrond spoke to a servant passing by, and soon the room was full of several strong Elves. "As we lift the bed Estel, you and Legolas pull her out. On three. One. Two. Three."
As the Elves lifted the bed, Strider was able to get a good grasp on the frightened girl. The hold did not last for Kao sunk her teeth deep enough into his hand to draw blood. Being thus distracted however, Legolas grabbed her by the legs and pulled her out while making a mental note to stay away from her mouth.
Selinde had left the gates of Rivendell far behind. She knew that by now, Lord Elrond had been informed of her passing. For a brief moment, she almost turned back, the weight of her guilt almost unbearable. But she didn't. Listening to Kao describe in vivid detail all the things that Hagley had done to her had brought back so many of her own demons. Promise or no promise, she would not do it again. On and on she rode, almost hoping for a tragic end against the pounding in her head. And things were only getting worse, for her vision was blurring again.
Aragorn had pulled back at the sudden pain in his hand, and clamped it tightly to his stomach as he squeezed it and bent over it. Seeing his dear friend struggling with Legolas to get back to her hiding place, where in her mind she would be safe, he ignored the pain and approached the child.
"Kao...Kaolith, honey it's okay. No one is going to hurt you here, we're here to help you." She seemed to relax at this until Elrond stepped forward, a new draught that he had prepared in his hand. Seeing the Elf, one of a race her father had told her to fear for their magical powers, she became more agitated.
"He's...an Elf." She looked around fearfully. "They're all Elves, except you."
Pulling from Legolas's grasp, she bolted forward into the only human's grasp, burying her head in his shoulder. Not knowing what memories she was clinging to now, he simply held her, oblivious to the blood seeping from his hand. Taking the draught from his father, he lifted the girl, and motioned for the Elves to leave. When they were gone, he lay her down and handed her the sleeping tea, watching as she drank it.
When her eyes were closed once more in peace Elrond and Legolas entered; and while one bandaged the wounded hand, the other wondered how they were going to go after one of their friends while keeping the other safe. They were both surprised when Kaolith called out in her sleep.
"Selinde, come back...please."
When the ability to see once again left Selinde, she was thankful her abilities with horses was Elven and not human. She did not dare stop until her sight returned, so she whispered to the horse where she wanted to go, and prayed they would stay on course.
Elrond placed a 'guard' in Kao's room, to inform him the minute she woke up. He would have left Estel with her, but decisions needed to be made, and the Man needed to be part of it.
Elrond looked around the room at those gathered. Gandalf sat near the fire, smoking his pipe. Elladan, Elrohir, Estel and Legolas were discussing among themselves why Selinde would leave. Then there was the young human, Tanad. He was going to need an explanation for all of this. Elrond sighed deeply then spoke.
"Tanad," the boy looked up with fear and anguish in his eyes.
"Yes, sir," the boy answered.
"I believe we owe you an explanation." Lord Elrond started. The boy just nodded.
"The first time I met Kao and Selinde," Elrond's eyes lost focus as he vividly remembered that day, "Selinde had brought the young human to me to be treated. She had been poisoned by an Orc arrow, and they came to me for treatment. Kaolith was healed, and soon after, they left with the twins to find Estel and Legolas."
"Yes," Tanad responded. "They told me some of that."
Elrond continued. "It was after they had found my son and the Prince that Kao's problems started. There had been a warg attack. Estel and Kao had suffered some pretty serious injuries. They were taken to Lothlorien, my wife's parents live there, to be healed."
The Elven Lord paused to let some of it sink in before continuing. "The healers there soon realized, that they couldn't figure out what was wrong with Kao, and therefore couldn't treat her. So she was brought back here."
Remembering that day again, Elrond wondered if they could have done something different. Gandalf saw the look on his friend's face, and continued the story.
"I was called in to help with your friend," the Gray Wizard spoke. "We also could not find what was wrong, and Kao completely lost all her memories."
Tanad was shocked by what he heard. He was about to ask a question when Gandalf put his hand up to stop them.
"Let me finish first young man," he said. "It was about six months after they arrived, that the memories started to return. We all took turns with whatever we could do, but the majority of it fell onto Selinde and Strider. For some days, Kao would let no Elf near her."
Tanad's eyes clouded with pain for his friends. "I cannot even imagine the pain they both must have felt," he said.
"Yes," Elrond took up the story again. "But it was Selinde who took the brunt of it. She still had her memories, and knew what the young one had forgotten. That, and Kao could be quite vicious with that tongue of hers, when the proper memories were not in place. Even though there was pain at what Kao lost, I think helping with the returning memories was even worse. You see, she was the healer at times, but Kao also made her the enemy at times."
Tanad was about to protest that his friend would not do such, when Strider interrupted.
"Tanad," he said. "It wasn't on purpose. It just took Kao awhile for things to straighten out in her mind. Selinde sat there through it all; refusing to give up on the one she calls sister. Then, she went through every memory with Kao as they came back. And due to the fact that Kao's childhood was memory upon memory of horrid torment, Selinde went through each one with her. I don't even know if Kao realizes all she confided in her friend. And Selinde would not share the burden with any of us. She refused to let these things tarnish her friend in anyway, so she took it all upon herself."
Elrond continued once again. "We thought that it was over, that her memories were returned for good. We had not really expected a relapse."
The council was interrupted by a commotion in the hall. Before any of them could see what it was, the door was flung open, and a very angry young girl stood there.
"What is going on? Why was there a guard posted outside my room?" Kao looked around at all those who were gathered. "And where in Mordor is Selinde?
She stared daggers at the group as they all found their feet suddenly very interesting. "Strider?"
Looking up, bemused, as the young human had singled him out, he gulped before answering softly. "We do not know."
"You…what? You don't know? An Elf with a pounding headache went missing, and you are still sitting here? We have to go find her. We have to…" she didn't need to finish and instead moved in front of the Lord of her home. "We have to go out and find her…all of us."
"Kao, no. I will send my sons and Legolas after her, but you need to rest…you need to heal." He looked to Mithrandir for support, but instead found the wizard chewing on his pipe, a look of mirth in his eyes.
Three responded at once, "Ada, do you really think she'll stay?" His sons knew their friend too well.
Aragorn finished for them, "I don't think you could post enough guards on her to keep her from following, and I'd rather know where she is than wonder how far behind us she is."
"Mithrandir?" Elrond was desperate now.
"They are right, old friend. Look in her eyes, she's asking for your permission, but she will go without it. She is too much like your sons in that way. Do you think they would stay, knowing that another is out in the Wild?"
Glaring, Elrond turned to the three Elves. "You'll bring her back at the first signs of a relapse?"
"Of course, we want to keep her safe, Ada," Elladan replied for all of them.
"And I suppose you'll be going too, young man?" Elrond turned to Tanad, who had stood up when the Lord had acquiesced.
"Yup," was his only reply.
When the group had packed and mounted their horses, Tanad holding tightly to Elrohir's back, Kaolith lagged behind, wanting her mentor to move away from the group as well. When he saw her stalling, he slowed and waited.
"Strider," she still hadn't gotten used to his Elven name, "promise me that no matter what happens, and I mean no matter what, even if I forget who I am…again," she paused, reflecting, "that you won't bring me back to Rivendell. Not until we've found Selinde. Please, I can't be in Rivendell, knowing she's out there somewhere. I just can't, it's all my fault, if only…"
"It is not your fault, Kao." Strider said vehemently. "And I don't want to hear you ever say that again. Do you understand me?"
Kao nodded numbly.
"I mean it Kao." He stressed. "Think about it. She spent more than a year helping you with your demons. One at a time as you remembered them. Maybe the thought of doing it again was not something she could handle." Strider paused to let it all sink in. "She just might need time to confront her own."
The group mounted up and started to make for the pass. The trackers had told them that Selinde was heading towards Mirkwood. Why, they didn't know. But they would follow her and hopefully catch up. That would also be a difficult task, as the one traveler was an Elf. Of the six of them, three were human. It didn't look good.
After a few days, Selinde noticed that her sight was no longer as blurry and the headaches had started to subside. She had made it to the edge of Mirkwood, and now had spent many traveling within. It was a dark and dreary place, as she well knew, for she and Kao had come through it before. But it was much worse when one was traveling alone. And soon, she felt something following her.
To the Reviewers:
TC - Hello TC! OK, here is more. Well, as soon as Cube posts. But she will have by the time you see this. LOL
Sparx – Hey Sparx! No problem with the directions. LOL Hope you keep reading. Thanks so much for reading it in the first place.
Cathy – Hello Cathy. Yes, I guess we can be evil at times. I also think we find this very therapeutic. And I can assure, it will get even more evil.
Karine - Hey Karine. This is good then. We may not be such bad writers if we got you to feel several emotions in one chapter. Keep reading.
