They rode this way for a long time, and Sevein knew not what hour of the
night it was when they stopped to take rest.
"We shall stay here for the night. But be wary and stay close to my side. The woods are not peaceful, especially not tonight."
Sevein wondered what he meant by that, but decided it better judgment to trust the Elf and not question him. She climbed down from Celegsûl and followed the elf to a clearing not four feet from the road, where he sat and began to light a fire. She was sure it was a trick of the dark, but it seemed as if by some Elven magic he was producing the flame directly from between his hands.again, she did not see fit to ask questions.
"Why am I shielding you from your father?" he asked as he got a small amount of Elven waybread from his pack and handed her a piece.
"I left home, I do not wish to return," Sevein said, hoping to leave it at that. By the way he gazed at her, however, she knew he wanted to know more. She sighed and sat down, leaning her back against a tree, and took a bite of her waybread. "My family expects me to go on living exactly as they have for ages. I was.arranged to be married to a Rider of Rohan, one for whom I have no feelings. He has long been interested in me, but I have never thought of him as more than a friend, and I could not bear the thought of marrying him to raise my father's status and then be trapped in Edoras for the rest of my life. Even worse, should I grow to love him, the Riders of the Mark live dangerous lives.he could be killed on any day. And as a friend, I would grieve.as a wife.who knows how I might react. So, I just.left one night. I knew it would not be long before my father had caught my trail. I tried to go the long way 'round, and through Fangorn, but.it did not inhibit him, apparently."
Legolas nodded and ate some more waybread and watched the fire. After a moment, he spoke. "Are you tired?"
"No," she said plainly.
"Then we should be off, I believe, for-." Suddenly he stopped, and snapped his head to the left.
"What?" Sevein said, but before she could say another word, Legolas' hand was clamped over her mouth, and his left arm wrapped around her waist.
"Hush," he whispered almost inaudibly. His eyes scanned the trees in front of them. "Don't move."
The horse Celegsûl, almost as if by some supernatural knowledge, slowly inched its way towards the two of them, carefully picking through the foliage and made almost no sound. But it was too late.
The Spider, a good twenty feet in body and forty feet (at least) in leg, was upon the horse, his prey, without abandon, and began to wind the poor beast in its web, sticky strings pulling tight until the horse was cocooned. Legolas stepped quickly in front of Sevein and drew an arrow from his quiver, firing it lightning-speed at the Spider. It hit its mark, directly between the Spider's eyes, and the beast gave an infuriated and pained squeal. Instead of retreating, however, it lashed out, apparently only wounded by the blow; the exoskeleton was thicker than the Elf had taken it to be.
With one swoop, it knocked Celegsûl, still entwined in the monster's suffocating webbing, out of the way and charged at Legolas and Sevein, the former already taking a second aim. He hit it directly in the eye this time, and the slime and ooze from its ocular cavern poured out in gushes. The Spider skidded to a halt in front of the two of them, dead.
Sevein breathed in and out, once, twice, very slowly, cowering behind Legolas, but unable to take her eyes from the dead arachnid. The Elf also let out a breath of relief and closed his eyes. It was only the soft whimpering of the girl behind him that drew him out of the trance he had entered to relax himself after the battle. He slowly opened his eyes, one at a time, and nearly winced at what he saw.
"We shall stay here for the night. But be wary and stay close to my side. The woods are not peaceful, especially not tonight."
Sevein wondered what he meant by that, but decided it better judgment to trust the Elf and not question him. She climbed down from Celegsûl and followed the elf to a clearing not four feet from the road, where he sat and began to light a fire. She was sure it was a trick of the dark, but it seemed as if by some Elven magic he was producing the flame directly from between his hands.again, she did not see fit to ask questions.
"Why am I shielding you from your father?" he asked as he got a small amount of Elven waybread from his pack and handed her a piece.
"I left home, I do not wish to return," Sevein said, hoping to leave it at that. By the way he gazed at her, however, she knew he wanted to know more. She sighed and sat down, leaning her back against a tree, and took a bite of her waybread. "My family expects me to go on living exactly as they have for ages. I was.arranged to be married to a Rider of Rohan, one for whom I have no feelings. He has long been interested in me, but I have never thought of him as more than a friend, and I could not bear the thought of marrying him to raise my father's status and then be trapped in Edoras for the rest of my life. Even worse, should I grow to love him, the Riders of the Mark live dangerous lives.he could be killed on any day. And as a friend, I would grieve.as a wife.who knows how I might react. So, I just.left one night. I knew it would not be long before my father had caught my trail. I tried to go the long way 'round, and through Fangorn, but.it did not inhibit him, apparently."
Legolas nodded and ate some more waybread and watched the fire. After a moment, he spoke. "Are you tired?"
"No," she said plainly.
"Then we should be off, I believe, for-." Suddenly he stopped, and snapped his head to the left.
"What?" Sevein said, but before she could say another word, Legolas' hand was clamped over her mouth, and his left arm wrapped around her waist.
"Hush," he whispered almost inaudibly. His eyes scanned the trees in front of them. "Don't move."
The horse Celegsûl, almost as if by some supernatural knowledge, slowly inched its way towards the two of them, carefully picking through the foliage and made almost no sound. But it was too late.
The Spider, a good twenty feet in body and forty feet (at least) in leg, was upon the horse, his prey, without abandon, and began to wind the poor beast in its web, sticky strings pulling tight until the horse was cocooned. Legolas stepped quickly in front of Sevein and drew an arrow from his quiver, firing it lightning-speed at the Spider. It hit its mark, directly between the Spider's eyes, and the beast gave an infuriated and pained squeal. Instead of retreating, however, it lashed out, apparently only wounded by the blow; the exoskeleton was thicker than the Elf had taken it to be.
With one swoop, it knocked Celegsûl, still entwined in the monster's suffocating webbing, out of the way and charged at Legolas and Sevein, the former already taking a second aim. He hit it directly in the eye this time, and the slime and ooze from its ocular cavern poured out in gushes. The Spider skidded to a halt in front of the two of them, dead.
Sevein breathed in and out, once, twice, very slowly, cowering behind Legolas, but unable to take her eyes from the dead arachnid. The Elf also let out a breath of relief and closed his eyes. It was only the soft whimpering of the girl behind him that drew him out of the trance he had entered to relax himself after the battle. He slowly opened his eyes, one at a time, and nearly winced at what he saw.