It took Elladan nearly half and hour to find where Laurelen had finally
stopped. She was standing in a small clearing, arms wrapped loosely around
Sulien's neck as she buried her face in the black mane. Her angry tears and
shuddering breaths covered the soft plod of his horse's hooves.
He slid gently off the stallion's back, his feet making no noise as they touched the ground. He stood for a moment, to see if she would notice his presence. But she was oblivious, too wrapped up in her own pain. Finally, he could stand her weeping no longer. He walked forward quietly and gently touched the girl's shoulder.
Laurelen's body shuddered at the unexpected touch, but she did not lift her face from Sulien's neck. Elladan reached for her hands and gently untangled them from the long mane. She almost resisted, but decided that it was not worth the fight, exhausted as she already was from anger and grief. He turned her gently towards him, lifting her chin so he could look at her face. She lifted her pain-filled eyes to him, and he was startled at their color. Almost gold they looked, instead of their usual muddy green-brown. He looked down at her dirt-streaked face and was filled with compassion. "I will try to understand you, if you will trust me enough to speak."
Laurelen's eyes flickered momentarily with doubt, then she dropped them and nodded slowly. "I trust you." Her voice broke as she spoke, and she sucked in a shuddering breath. She calmed herself as best she could, and when she glanced back up at Elladan, her eyes were their normal color. "What do you wish to know?"
Elladan smiled to himself. It was so like the scene before the council when she had first arrived. "Everything."
"You know my story already. What more is there to tell?"
"You did not tell all of your story. What happened after your capture? Assuredly it was while you where in slavery that you learned this distrust. Will you tell me?"
She looked at him for a moment, her expression unreadable. "Aye." She sat down on the soft ground, cross-legged. Elladan followed suit, waiting for her to begin. After a time of silence, she asked "Where should I begin?"
With another question, he answered, "Why do you mistrust so?"
Laurelen looked away from him. Her eyes came to rest on the two horses who grazed nearby. "Who have I ever had to trust?" She smiled bitterly. "My parents I trusted with my life, and they could not protect me. And they were all I had. I learned to look out for myself. I was not the only slave captured by those.those." Her voice changed as she spit out every word she could think of to describe orcs and their kin.
Elladan could not help but be startled at the harshness of her speech. Where did she learn such words? he thought to himself. He himself knew only half of the curses and swear words she uttered.
Abruptly her angry flow of words stopped. She continued bitterly, "There are no words to describe them that would do justice to their evil. I was not the only slave taken, but slaves do not trust each other. And Men." Her lip curled back in a snarl. "Men cause the worst harm. They allow orcs to roam their lands freely, simply for the slaves they bring in! It was so with these orcs. They sold me to the men in exchange for the freedom to defile the land with their evil." Her face twisted and an angry tear spilled down her cheek. "Shipbuilders." She spit out the word as if it burned her tongue. "Shipbuilders they were. They used slaved to build ships that more slaves would row for them. They used slaves to cut down the trees." Her voice died off into a mumble, and her body began to shake violently. She turned to him with tear-filled eyes, the first time she had looked at him since she began her tale. "Can you imagine hearing the death- cries of thousands of trees as they are cut down?" She nodded her head at the shocked expression on his face. "Aye, they cut down old forest! Not trees they had planted, but trees which had taken root at the beginning of the world! They cried out to me to save them, and I could not! I was forced to hear it for years, not only the trees that fell around me, but the trees that cried out as I killed them! I asked myself why I did not simply allow myself to die. To starve myself to death, and be gone from the pain. But now I know that always I hoped to get free, that as long as I was alive, I could dream of being free again. As the years passed, that hope waned. One day I simply refused to work any longer. I refused to kill any more of the trees. They beat me, with whips and chains, boots, clubs, anything they could find." Her voice was oddly calm, and now it changed to prideful as she declared, "But I survived! I escaped! They left me for dead while there was yet life in me. I lay where I had fallen until night came, and then I saw my chance for freedom.
"I ran. Mile upon mile I ran. I could stop only for drink, for I was pursued the whole way. There was no rest for me, nor food, nor sleep. And no time to wash the blood from my back. As fast and enduring as our race is, even we cannot compete with men on horseback. Three weeks I was pursued, before my strength finally gave out, just as I reached the town of Bree." She looked hard at him. "I nearly died. I left a trail of blood halfway across Middle-Earth. You know the rest of the story."
Elladan swallowed quickly and nodded, unable to speak because of the unexpected grief for her that burned his heart. He swallowed again and tried to speak past the lump in his throat. "Thank you, Laurelen. I understand you a little better now."
She nodded and looked at him, then realized her mistake as she saw the tears that filled his shadowed grey eyes. Her own eyes filled and spilled over. She dropped her face into her hands, shoulders shaking with emotion. The telling of her story had brought up memories she had tried her hardest to forget. But oddly enough, she felt better for it. A burden had been lifted from her shoulders, because she no longer bore it alone. She lifted her face and gave Elladan a weak smile.
The relief in his eyes rewarded her, and his soft smile answered hers. He stood and offered his hands to help her up. After a moment's hesitation, she accepted. She was not prepared for the unexpected jolt his touch gave her. As she stood, their hands remained clasped, and she found herself entranced by his eyes, as he was with hers. But after a moment, Elladan seemed to remember himself, and dropped her hands. He smiled at her and said, "It is a beautiful day; let's not waste it here. I can think of no better way to spend the afternoon than on horseback." He turned and whistled, and his horse came trotting over, Sulien following at a rather slower pace.
Laurelen could not help but smile at her reluctant horse. She climbed onto Sulien's broad muscled back, and almost immediately felt better. Somehow, she always found it impossible to be grumpy or sad with the prospect of a ride before her. She looked about her from her perch, and frowned slightly. "Where are we?"
Elladan could only laugh.
He slid gently off the stallion's back, his feet making no noise as they touched the ground. He stood for a moment, to see if she would notice his presence. But she was oblivious, too wrapped up in her own pain. Finally, he could stand her weeping no longer. He walked forward quietly and gently touched the girl's shoulder.
Laurelen's body shuddered at the unexpected touch, but she did not lift her face from Sulien's neck. Elladan reached for her hands and gently untangled them from the long mane. She almost resisted, but decided that it was not worth the fight, exhausted as she already was from anger and grief. He turned her gently towards him, lifting her chin so he could look at her face. She lifted her pain-filled eyes to him, and he was startled at their color. Almost gold they looked, instead of their usual muddy green-brown. He looked down at her dirt-streaked face and was filled with compassion. "I will try to understand you, if you will trust me enough to speak."
Laurelen's eyes flickered momentarily with doubt, then she dropped them and nodded slowly. "I trust you." Her voice broke as she spoke, and she sucked in a shuddering breath. She calmed herself as best she could, and when she glanced back up at Elladan, her eyes were their normal color. "What do you wish to know?"
Elladan smiled to himself. It was so like the scene before the council when she had first arrived. "Everything."
"You know my story already. What more is there to tell?"
"You did not tell all of your story. What happened after your capture? Assuredly it was while you where in slavery that you learned this distrust. Will you tell me?"
She looked at him for a moment, her expression unreadable. "Aye." She sat down on the soft ground, cross-legged. Elladan followed suit, waiting for her to begin. After a time of silence, she asked "Where should I begin?"
With another question, he answered, "Why do you mistrust so?"
Laurelen looked away from him. Her eyes came to rest on the two horses who grazed nearby. "Who have I ever had to trust?" She smiled bitterly. "My parents I trusted with my life, and they could not protect me. And they were all I had. I learned to look out for myself. I was not the only slave captured by those.those." Her voice changed as she spit out every word she could think of to describe orcs and their kin.
Elladan could not help but be startled at the harshness of her speech. Where did she learn such words? he thought to himself. He himself knew only half of the curses and swear words she uttered.
Abruptly her angry flow of words stopped. She continued bitterly, "There are no words to describe them that would do justice to their evil. I was not the only slave taken, but slaves do not trust each other. And Men." Her lip curled back in a snarl. "Men cause the worst harm. They allow orcs to roam their lands freely, simply for the slaves they bring in! It was so with these orcs. They sold me to the men in exchange for the freedom to defile the land with their evil." Her face twisted and an angry tear spilled down her cheek. "Shipbuilders." She spit out the word as if it burned her tongue. "Shipbuilders they were. They used slaved to build ships that more slaves would row for them. They used slaves to cut down the trees." Her voice died off into a mumble, and her body began to shake violently. She turned to him with tear-filled eyes, the first time she had looked at him since she began her tale. "Can you imagine hearing the death- cries of thousands of trees as they are cut down?" She nodded her head at the shocked expression on his face. "Aye, they cut down old forest! Not trees they had planted, but trees which had taken root at the beginning of the world! They cried out to me to save them, and I could not! I was forced to hear it for years, not only the trees that fell around me, but the trees that cried out as I killed them! I asked myself why I did not simply allow myself to die. To starve myself to death, and be gone from the pain. But now I know that always I hoped to get free, that as long as I was alive, I could dream of being free again. As the years passed, that hope waned. One day I simply refused to work any longer. I refused to kill any more of the trees. They beat me, with whips and chains, boots, clubs, anything they could find." Her voice was oddly calm, and now it changed to prideful as she declared, "But I survived! I escaped! They left me for dead while there was yet life in me. I lay where I had fallen until night came, and then I saw my chance for freedom.
"I ran. Mile upon mile I ran. I could stop only for drink, for I was pursued the whole way. There was no rest for me, nor food, nor sleep. And no time to wash the blood from my back. As fast and enduring as our race is, even we cannot compete with men on horseback. Three weeks I was pursued, before my strength finally gave out, just as I reached the town of Bree." She looked hard at him. "I nearly died. I left a trail of blood halfway across Middle-Earth. You know the rest of the story."
Elladan swallowed quickly and nodded, unable to speak because of the unexpected grief for her that burned his heart. He swallowed again and tried to speak past the lump in his throat. "Thank you, Laurelen. I understand you a little better now."
She nodded and looked at him, then realized her mistake as she saw the tears that filled his shadowed grey eyes. Her own eyes filled and spilled over. She dropped her face into her hands, shoulders shaking with emotion. The telling of her story had brought up memories she had tried her hardest to forget. But oddly enough, she felt better for it. A burden had been lifted from her shoulders, because she no longer bore it alone. She lifted her face and gave Elladan a weak smile.
The relief in his eyes rewarded her, and his soft smile answered hers. He stood and offered his hands to help her up. After a moment's hesitation, she accepted. She was not prepared for the unexpected jolt his touch gave her. As she stood, their hands remained clasped, and she found herself entranced by his eyes, as he was with hers. But after a moment, Elladan seemed to remember himself, and dropped her hands. He smiled at her and said, "It is a beautiful day; let's not waste it here. I can think of no better way to spend the afternoon than on horseback." He turned and whistled, and his horse came trotting over, Sulien following at a rather slower pace.
Laurelen could not help but smile at her reluctant horse. She climbed onto Sulien's broad muscled back, and almost immediately felt better. Somehow, she always found it impossible to be grumpy or sad with the prospect of a ride before her. She looked about her from her perch, and frowned slightly. "Where are we?"
Elladan could only laugh.