Aida had reached the castle gates and was contemplating how to open them
when she heard a voice behind her. "You will never get out that way. The
gates answer only to those who know their secret." Aida turned and saw a
lovely elf-maiden standing behind, watching her. It was from her the silky
voice came.
"Do you know it?" Aida asked her.
"Of course," she replied. Before Aida could speak again, however, the elf said, "I cannot help you get out, though. Thranduil has made sure of that."
Aida sighed heavily in disappointment. Couldn't something go according to plan, just once?
"My name is Sorcha. Legolas spoke to me before he left and asked me to check and make sure you were all right, but since you're here, I assume you are. Tell me, where were you planning on going all alone?" she asked.
Aida looked back at her suspiciously, then replied, "I was going to try and correct an error that has stood for far too long. And I hope you will let me pass. This is very pressing business."
"I'm sorry, I cannot. Both the prince and the king would be livid." Sorcha said.
"But the prince's life depends on it!" Aida cried in desperation.
Sorcha gave her a look of pity. "Any other request I would be happy to grant, but this I cannot do. Come, talk with me. Tell me why it is so important you leave immediately, and perhaps I can persuade the king to let you go."
Aida stood for a moment, contemplating the situation. She did not want to tell her story to some elf she didn't even know, but one look at Sorcha's face convinced Aida that she had no choice. "All right," Aida replied. "I'll talk."
"I lived in a small village on the western edge of the forest," Aida began. Sorcha had led her to one of the smaller rooms in the palace, and shut and locked the door. Though small, it was just as beautifully furnished as the rest of the palace. "It is a beautiful village, with the houses scattered about among the trees and well-trod paths leading into the deep forest. I love it so! I have missed it dreadfully this past month - except when I came here. This place has a way of making you forget that the outside world exists at all.." Aida trailed off into silence, her eyes unfocused, staring at nothing. Sorcha sat patiently, unmoving, waiting for Aida to begin again. Aida suddenly shook herself as if waking from sleep, looked about the room in surprise, and continued. "Anyway, I had lived with my family in this small hunter's village my whole life and had no desire to leave it. We were content. Then, one terrible day, my father did not return home at his usual hour. We began to get a bit nervous because we'd all heard the terrible tales of hunters who got lost in the forest at night. Finally, my father's oldest brother returned with news. My father had been taken by the spiders." Tears began to form in Aida's eyes, and she sighed. "My father was a good man, and he worked hard to keep his family healthy and happy. Without him, though, we had no way of supporting ourselves. My mother had been a strong woman in her day, but illness had weakened her to where she could not hunt. We could not live on the charity of the village forever, so I took up a bow that had been my mother's and went out to hunt. Now, this responsibility is fraught with danger, and is hardly ever given to one of my youth, but we had no other choice. I kept hearing the hungry pleas of my brothers and sisters in my head, and I knew I had to go." Aida paused for a moment to collect herself, and then told the next phase of her story: "Though new, I was actually a fairly successful hunter. I brought home enough to feed the family, but unfortunately, we never had enough to salt and save for the winter months. When winter began to come on, I found myself in a fix. Game was getting scarcer and scarcer, and we had next to nothing to eat. I kept moving from village to village, trying never to come home empty- handed. As it got colder, though, game wasn't just scarce - it was nearly gone. I went to the woods that last, fateful time, and I wandered further than ever before, to the south, hoping to find something, anything to eat. So focused was I on my task that I did not notice when the woods began to get darker and thicker, and the streams began to run black. I had never been this far away from my village before; I had no way of knowing that I was approaching the stronghold of the Necromancer." Here Aida stopped and began shivering uncontrollably. Sorcha looked at her solemnly for a moment. Then, eyes filled with pity, she stood and crossed the small room to sit at Aida's side. Sorcha wrapped her strong arms around the small, shaking figure, and whispered comforting things in Elvish until the spasms had finally calmed. Aida looked up at Sorcha's wise brown eyes in gratitude, then continued with her tale.
"When I can within five miles of the fortress, I was ambushed by several orcs. Disgust filled me at the sight of them, and when they grabbed hold of me and took me as a prisoner, I nearly fainted out of sheer revulsion. Their evil speech was like rocks assaulting my ears, and the slime dripping off their bodies burned my skin. They tied my hands behind my back and my feet at the ankles; then they picked me up and ran with me through the ever-darkening forest." Aida stopped and shivered slightly, once, in remembrance. Then she closed her eyes, gathered what strength she had, and began to tell the worst part of her story.
"Do you know it?" Aida asked her.
"Of course," she replied. Before Aida could speak again, however, the elf said, "I cannot help you get out, though. Thranduil has made sure of that."
Aida sighed heavily in disappointment. Couldn't something go according to plan, just once?
"My name is Sorcha. Legolas spoke to me before he left and asked me to check and make sure you were all right, but since you're here, I assume you are. Tell me, where were you planning on going all alone?" she asked.
Aida looked back at her suspiciously, then replied, "I was going to try and correct an error that has stood for far too long. And I hope you will let me pass. This is very pressing business."
"I'm sorry, I cannot. Both the prince and the king would be livid." Sorcha said.
"But the prince's life depends on it!" Aida cried in desperation.
Sorcha gave her a look of pity. "Any other request I would be happy to grant, but this I cannot do. Come, talk with me. Tell me why it is so important you leave immediately, and perhaps I can persuade the king to let you go."
Aida stood for a moment, contemplating the situation. She did not want to tell her story to some elf she didn't even know, but one look at Sorcha's face convinced Aida that she had no choice. "All right," Aida replied. "I'll talk."
"I lived in a small village on the western edge of the forest," Aida began. Sorcha had led her to one of the smaller rooms in the palace, and shut and locked the door. Though small, it was just as beautifully furnished as the rest of the palace. "It is a beautiful village, with the houses scattered about among the trees and well-trod paths leading into the deep forest. I love it so! I have missed it dreadfully this past month - except when I came here. This place has a way of making you forget that the outside world exists at all.." Aida trailed off into silence, her eyes unfocused, staring at nothing. Sorcha sat patiently, unmoving, waiting for Aida to begin again. Aida suddenly shook herself as if waking from sleep, looked about the room in surprise, and continued. "Anyway, I had lived with my family in this small hunter's village my whole life and had no desire to leave it. We were content. Then, one terrible day, my father did not return home at his usual hour. We began to get a bit nervous because we'd all heard the terrible tales of hunters who got lost in the forest at night. Finally, my father's oldest brother returned with news. My father had been taken by the spiders." Tears began to form in Aida's eyes, and she sighed. "My father was a good man, and he worked hard to keep his family healthy and happy. Without him, though, we had no way of supporting ourselves. My mother had been a strong woman in her day, but illness had weakened her to where she could not hunt. We could not live on the charity of the village forever, so I took up a bow that had been my mother's and went out to hunt. Now, this responsibility is fraught with danger, and is hardly ever given to one of my youth, but we had no other choice. I kept hearing the hungry pleas of my brothers and sisters in my head, and I knew I had to go." Aida paused for a moment to collect herself, and then told the next phase of her story: "Though new, I was actually a fairly successful hunter. I brought home enough to feed the family, but unfortunately, we never had enough to salt and save for the winter months. When winter began to come on, I found myself in a fix. Game was getting scarcer and scarcer, and we had next to nothing to eat. I kept moving from village to village, trying never to come home empty- handed. As it got colder, though, game wasn't just scarce - it was nearly gone. I went to the woods that last, fateful time, and I wandered further than ever before, to the south, hoping to find something, anything to eat. So focused was I on my task that I did not notice when the woods began to get darker and thicker, and the streams began to run black. I had never been this far away from my village before; I had no way of knowing that I was approaching the stronghold of the Necromancer." Here Aida stopped and began shivering uncontrollably. Sorcha looked at her solemnly for a moment. Then, eyes filled with pity, she stood and crossed the small room to sit at Aida's side. Sorcha wrapped her strong arms around the small, shaking figure, and whispered comforting things in Elvish until the spasms had finally calmed. Aida looked up at Sorcha's wise brown eyes in gratitude, then continued with her tale.
"When I can within five miles of the fortress, I was ambushed by several orcs. Disgust filled me at the sight of them, and when they grabbed hold of me and took me as a prisoner, I nearly fainted out of sheer revulsion. Their evil speech was like rocks assaulting my ears, and the slime dripping off their bodies burned my skin. They tied my hands behind my back and my feet at the ankles; then they picked me up and ran with me through the ever-darkening forest." Aida stopped and shivered slightly, once, in remembrance. Then she closed her eyes, gathered what strength she had, and began to tell the worst part of her story.