Chapter 19 – The Fight

Narla could have sworn that Irthal's body had tilted towards the river while Legolas and Mirgom tried to keep her dry. Vortayn had fallen and trap or not, they were not going to let him bleed to death.

"Stay put, Lady Irthal! Everyone be prepared to attack if it is a trap. I shall bring Lord Vortayn over!" commanded Legolas as Irthal brandished her sword at him.

"But what about you?" protested Narla as she took the words out of Mirgom's mouth.

The elf prince looked back and smiled at her before he grabbed a vine and flew over to the other side. Horrified, Narla could do nothing but stare. Her worries were justified, for the moment Legolas approached his companion, several creatures appeared from the bushes behind. Swift as an eagle, Mirgom shot their foes from across the river, redeeming himself from his previous blunder while Legolas cut limbs with his white knives. Irthal was grinding her teeth in anxiety, but she didn't have time to do that for long. Sneaking under the riverbank was a couple of their enemies, ready to attack the archer on top.

"Below you!" shouted Legolas as he sliced the throat of one of his assailants.

Immediately the creatures leapt out of the crimson current, how they managed to swim over was still a mystery. Mirgom took no heed of them, for Irthal proved there was no such need. He continued to protect his prince while the brawny woman fought with a fury. All this while Narla just stood watching, her heart almost falling out when she saw the creatures attacking Legolas. However, Oriah's scream got her attention and she realized that they were in danger as well. Wishing she could just scream like Oriah, Narla knew it was time to draw Gaildryn. She had practiced for such an incident and she felt that she must prove herself useful. Gaildryn gleamed brightly as though it was excited to taste blood and Narla felt it struggling under her grip. She pulled the crying Oriah behind Mirgom as she braced herself for attack. The creatures were nothing like the imps. Imps looked like little brats compared to these bulky, stinky lot. Their yellow eyes shone hungrily as they looked at their feast-to-be. Their legs reminded one of a horse's, strong and fast while their weapons made Narla gulp in fright. Terrified as she was, when they leapt forward she wielded Gaildryn and with whatever instructions she could remember from Legolas' teaching, she slashed and thrust her blade. Irthal had chopped two heads and was thirsting for revenge. Mirgom did not allow his surrounding to distract him, though he did divert his attention to Narla when she fought with one of the enemies. Noticing her elf stances and techniques he knew she could block the attacks and provide time for Irthal to come and finish it off. Assuming that Narla's duty was to buy some time, Mirgom shot three arrows at once and three died on the other side. His pride had always been in his archery skill, and perhaps cookery.

On the other side, Legolas had fended off some of the creatures and when a chance came, he grabbed Vortayn by the shoulder and heaved him over his shoulder. Anyone noticing would have gaped in awe at the lean elf carrying a bulk twice his size and still move quickly. More creatures appeared but they were pushed back by Mirgom's sharp attacks. Tying themselves to a vine loosely, Legolas requested the help of the trees and without hesitation, swung the two over. The vines broke loose and both of them fell onto the ground. They made it over but there was no time to be relieved. Legolas got up almost as soon as he fell and joined in the action.

Mirgom saw that the creatures on the other side had retreated and looked for targets on this side of the river. He was going to help Narla when he saw, in surprise, that she was covered with blood, her opponent's blood. Narla collapsed in exhaustion, as her battle had been worse than she thought. The creature was fast, powerful and smart! She managed to evade its attacks but she knew she could not go on like that for long. Soon she was panting and her arms ached. Narla was on the verge of crying like Oriah when she suddenly noticed something. The creature had seemed to possess no weakness as its torso was heavily shielded with armor. She knew that her strength would not allow her to cut its throat in time, thus desperation overcame her more than fear. She hadn't noticed before as the whole being was dark, but its breeches bore no protection. Hoping that the creature's crotch was a weakness as it is in her world, she aimed for it. The creature was too fast for her, giving her no opportunity to strike at all. Narla ended up with deep cuts all over her, but none fatal. Oriah had stopped crying and watched her brave friend fight painstakingly. Her admiration was not showed, but she felt extremely useless for someone who belonged to Middle-Earth. The dwarves sent her on this journey for her to learn the ways of the wild, but all she had done so far was hide and cower. Determined, but still frightened, she gripped her staff and waited for the right moment. The annoyed creature lunged at Narla, but she dodged and its back faced Oriah. Instantly she jumped onto its filthy back and poked one of its eyes with her staff. The creature screamed in anger. It grabbed Oriah's clothing and was about to throw her off when it screeched in pain. Gaildryn had been thrust fully into its crotch up its abdomen, and Narla's hands were shaking with terror. It fell backwards and Oriah leapt off before it could crush her with its weight. She stared at the dead being in amazement, this was the first time she had shown courage and helped her friend in battle. She also noticed that the battle was over and the creatures were either dead or retreated. Staggering, Oriah went to wrap her arms around the traumatized Narla and cried,

"We did it, Narla! We defeated evil together!"

Narla snapped out of her trance and looked around. A surge of disbelief washed over her as she saw Gaildryn still stuck onto the dead shape, with a tiny sense of pride running through her veins. She had fought and proved herself useful in this company. Though she could not take full credit, she was still extremely glad. Narla would have hugged her small friend if her wounds were not so stinging. Oriah took out her pouches and was going to mend Narla's wounds when Legolas called,

"Lady Oriah! Lord Vortayn needs your aid!"

Oriah was going to protest when Narla asked her to go and save Vortayn. Her wounds were not as bad as Vortayn's and he was practically dying. The little healer nodded and passed some bandages to Mirgom, who was standing beside them, before she fled to Vortayn's side. Irthal and Legolas had moved him away from the river and the corpses, but he was still unconscious. One could see wetness in Irthal's eyes, but she would kill the person who'd point that out. She was frantic and called out Vortayn's name. When Oriah arrived she tried to help, but she ended up getting in the way, so Legolas asked her to move away and clear the area.

Mirgom, on the other hand, was busy stopping Narla's bleeding and treated her wounds. Being an elf, he was gentle and good at his job, but some of Narla's cuts were deep. At first she just sat there, flinching as she saw the horrible gashes on her own flesh, but soon she felt her vision blurring into darkness.

"Narla?"

Mirgom held the bandaged girl as she suddenly fainted. A faint light started to surround him and Narla's pendant was glowing with life. Mirgom looked around in confusion and was astonished to see the power of the blue gem. Narla's wounds were healing, at a rate faster than any medication could do. Her cuts had sealed on their own and her features became healthier. However, she seemed to be in more pain than ever, for her fingers dug in the skin around the pendant while she writhed and sweated in Mirgom's arms. Her wriggling slowed down as the light faded while Mirgom remained awed. He undid all the bandages he had wound and found new healthy skin beneath. A rustle made Mirgom's head jerk up to find a figure standing still. Her eyes were wide and her jaw dropped.

"What was that?" whispered Irthal in shock.

Author's Notes: School's been busy lately, thus I can't write a lot...and I intend to let the romance cool off for a while, so for those expecting romance, come and check the later chapters, sorry~! next chapter: Irthal discovers the power of the gem and will she use it on Vortayn and how did Vortayn escape from the bad guys...