Please note previous disclaimers. This chapter has a yuk factor and might be considered PG-PG-13 for slight gore.
The three elves and the dwarf walked well into the evening and Gimli still wandered by Kalen's side. He continued his questioning, and she wondered why the dwarf was so interested in getting to know her. She was inexperienced in the ways of the outside world and this was her first time away from the safety of her homeland. If his aim was to gain knowledge, he had tapped in to the wrong source. Kalen noticed the way that he spoke and carried himself. Long had he lived and had seen many things, in that she held no doubt. She wanted to know everything and with Legolas busied with Nevaria, Gimli would be the one to give her the education she craved. They walked and talked of things that they saw in the forest. There were so many new things and Kalen wanted to retain them all in her memory. Once she and Nevaria returned to Taureliloomis, memories would be all that she had of her first and, most likely, last adventure. That was, IF she and Nevaria returned. She inhaled slowly and exhaled the same. She had given her word. Promises were not easily spoken and once made, never to be broken. They would return, she had to believe that and trust herself. She was the only person she could depend on, and would continue to rely on that fact.
Gimli, busied in his questioning, had not noticed the unusual silence that began growing as they made their way deeper into the wood, but the elves had. It was beginning to grow unusually dark even though the sun had already fallen from the sky. A noise in the distance caused Kalen to stop. Her keen elven ears pricked and buzzed with silence. She HAD heard something, but now, there was nothing. Hearing it again, she paused. Pressing her long finger to her lips, she turned to Gimli and whispered:
"Quiet".
Gimli had come to trust the senses and intuition of the elves after all those years with Legolas. The archer's superb hearing and precise vision had never been wrong, and Gimli knew he would not question the female elf's abilities. Turning to his friend, Gimli could see that Legolas, too, had heard this noise.
Not long after the short silence, a scream echoed. Whatever it was, it was coming towards them. Nevaria could feel the doom and dread that the scream embodied. Her breathing became faster and more labored as the anticipation began to build. What manner of creature had given voice to this sense of evil that she now felt? Looking to Legolas, she would find her answer.
"Orcs" the blonde archer mouthed to Gimli.
The words had not been off his tongue for more than a few seconds when a group of Orcs ran from out of the darkness, rushing them.
Kalen pulled the swords from her back in one fluid motion, decapitating one of the attackers. There had been no time to think, only to react. The head of the Orc rolled, resting beside its own body. She felt her blood rushing and the adrenaline was only fueling her skill. Not knowing how many they were in number or if everyone else was faring as well, Kalen continued to battle the oncoming Orcs. Unleashing her fury on the next attacker, she lifted a foot and sent it flying into its groin. The Orc let out a howl of pain and doubled over. Her right arm raised and then fell, stabbing her sword down with the power of an anvil. This Orc had not been as fortunate in receiving the quick death of its predecessor and lay gurgling as it choked on it's own blood.
From behind, Gimli had been fighting and defeating five. His mighty axe had become covered in the thick brown colored Orc blood, and he, too, had been over-taken by the powers of the adrenaline. It had been long years since he had seen this sort of battle, and he reveled in it. The whizzing of arrows buzzed in his ear and he caught sight of Nevaria and Legolas. If time had allowed, he would have sat to admire the stealth in which the elves strung their arrows and released them. There was a macabre beauty in the art of their deadly accuracy.
It had been a short battle, but the elves were victorious. The four warriors stood, breathing heavily as they took an inventory of the carnage. The bodies of twenty Orcs lay strewn about, some disembodied, and some impaled like pincushions. Gimli gazed in wonder at Kalen's tally. She had fought the Orcs at close range and survived. That was a skill that few men could boast of, and being a woman, made her victory all the more impressive.
"Have you ever seen such grace in sword wielding, Legolas"? Gimli pointed his axe toward Kalen.
"Very graceful, but the archery skills of this one, leaves me without words". The elf had not missed a beat and quickly placed his bow back in its original place of rest.
Gimli snorted. He knew Legolas was making an effort to irritate Kalen. Not only had he exaggerated Nevaria's skill, but had chosen to elevate the subordinate above her superior. Making a sideways glance in Kalen's direction, he could see the flare of her nostrils as she leaned down to clean her swords. When his eyes returned to Legolas, he watched as the elf began collecting his arrows from the bodies of the dead Orcs. Gimli decided on having a few words with the irrational male elf while he could do so in private.
"What are you doing, she is starting to become agreeable towards me, and you try to change that with a few carefully chosen insults". Gimli's brow had furrowed and his own nostrils flared.
"Carefully chosen insults"? Legolas raised his eyebrows in a quizzical fashion. "I have said nothing that should offend her. As for her agreement towards you, that should remain. If it be true, you have nothing to fear".
The dwarf smirked and huffed in disbelief.
"Fear"? "I fear nothing, but instead, should like to see some good come from your meeting of this dark maiden". Gimli's hard gaze softened at her very mention.
"What good? Suppose I was drawn to her, I have not the time to accomplish anything in the realm of courtship. Why begin a battle I will probably lose"? Where there had been none before, a hint of self doubt lingered in Legolas' words.
Gimli smiled and tried to encourage his friend with helpful hints.
"You would be surprised how much can be accomplished with a few kind words and gestures".
Had he not known better, Legolas might have been offended at the suggestion. He would not beg any woman for their attentions. He had never done so, and would not begin now. His indifference had always worked in the past, and he would remain resolute in that behavior.
"Gimli, I will not grovel at the feet of any maiden, as you suggest, not even at the feet of one so fair".
"Ah-Ha! There is hope for you yet, Lord Elf". Gimli let out a hearty laugh and slapped his heavy hand on the bending elf's shoulder.
A smile escaped Legolas as he glanced at Kalen. Perhaps it was not too late for him. She unknowingly offered a chance to bring peace to his heart, but he would not surrender it or yield to her so easily if it meant his ultimate destruction.
