Disclaimer: NEWSFLASH: Lord Of The Rings is not mine!
Chapter 18 - But They're So Pretty!
Early the next morning Red went off in search of Legolas. He was not hard to find, for he was in the same spot she had run into him before.
That's odd, she thought, he's been here for two days. I wonder if he's waiting for someone?
She stepped out onto the path and the Elf looked up.
"Aluhin," he said.
"Come here," said Blue, "I want to show you something." She grasped his hand and lead him into the forest.
"Where are we going?" Legolas asked.
The woman said nothing. Slowly she let go of his hand and began to walk faster.
"Wait." the Elf said as Blue disappeared in to the trees. "Aluhin!" he cried.
Suddenly, someone jumped him from behind, knocking him to his knees. He reached for his knives, but found himself weaponless. Before he could react, his attacker had a rope tied around his wrists and another around his feet.
He was tightly bound and gagged when Blue stepped around to face him.
"Anu -nn." he said through a muffled mouth.
"Sshh." Blue said, placing a finger on the Elf's lips.
All of the sudden Blue began to warp. Her features became distorted, her hair grew longer and the brown faded into blonde. She grew taller and broader, and her eyes turned blue. All at once, Blue became Red.
"Legolas, darling," she said in mock sincerity, "it never would have worked out between us. I'm sorry." She pulled a dark cloth over Legolas's eyes and calmly walked away.
"Well, that was much easier than I thought it would be," she muttered to herself as she vanished into the underbrush.
Blue was sanding, Green was nailing boards together, and Black was rummaging around in the storage cellar when Red waltzed into camp.
"Problem solved," she said cheerily as Black emerged with a large wagon wheel strewn over her shoulder.
"Whoa," Red mumbled.
"So?" Black asked, setting the wheel down. "You fixed everything?"
"Oh yeah, right," Red stuttered, taking her eyes of the heavy piece of woodwork. "I took care of it. We won't be needing to worry about him anymore."
"Who? What?" asked Blue.
"I'm sorry, Blue," Red said, "but I had to do it."
"Do what? What did you do?" she asked frantically.
"He would have only caused trouble."
"What did you do?!"
"I didn't have a choice."
Blue gasped. "You killed him!?"
"Oh, no, no," Red assured her. "I try to avoid killing people. It gives me nightmares. I just tied him up and left him for the spiders."
"You WHAT!" Blue shrieked. She threw away her tools and started to run.
Black grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Leave it," she ordered.
"But he'll die!" Blue protested.
"He is no longer your concern," Black told her, "forget about him."
"I can't forget about him," Blue whispered as Black pushed her back to her work station.
Blue went back to her task, however, she was already formulating a way to sneak off. But every time she tried to leave Black was always there. Well, almost always, anyway.
Several days later the women had the beginnings of a nice pair of wooden wagons.
The peace of their camp during lunch was interrupted dramatically when Red came in, panting and out of breath.
"We got a problem," she gasped.
Black jumped up. "A problem?"
"Well, more like two problems," confessed Red. "The Elf - he escaped - somehow. I saw him with Aragob not a mile to the south."
"Aragorn?"
"Yeah, that's what I said."
"Sh^t!" cursed Black.
Black made to leave, then thinking better of it, went over to Blue, who was trying hard not to look guilty.
"Do us a favor," she said, "I know it's hard for you, but please, stay here. And try not to do anything.stupid." Black glared at Blue briefly, then rushed off after Red.
"Stupid." muttered Blue, "who does she think she is? Leaving an innocent Elf bound and gagged in the middle of the forest? Not stupid.moral."
"You did it, didn't you?" Green asked. Blue did not reply.
"She'll have your head for this, I hope you know."
"Humph," Blue grunted.
She waited for Green to immerse herself in her work before tip-toeing into the trees to follow Red and Black.
"I'm going to roast her hide on a spit," Black growled.
"Sh!" Red ordered.
".And then she turned into some blonde woman in red right before my eyes!" Legolas whispered.
"You changed?! Right in front of him?" Black hissed.
"Well, I didn't think he'd live tell about it!"
"What was that?" Legolas asked suddenly.
Red and Black ducked behind a pair of trees. Aragorn drew his sword and started walking in the direction of the two women. Legolas pulled out his bow, which was quite useless really, since he had no arrows.
As Aragorn approached the women's hiding place, the two simultaneously took out their swords and placed them at the man's throat.
They stepped out from behind the trunks and advanced upon Aragorn, pushing him back to the path where Legolas stood dumbfounded.
Red stayed with Aragorn as Black went to point her sword at the Elf.
"You," Legolas snarled.
"Ah, yes," Black said, "it is I, the one your friend so fondly refers to as Aegnor, fell-fire. Tell me, how is he?"
"I warned you of what would happen if you dared to enter this forest again," Legolas said, ignoring the sarcasm in the woman's voice.
"Aye, indeed I remember. And that is why it is so tragic that you had to stumble upon us," Black replied. "For now that you have, I have no other choice but to kill you." Black pressed her sword closer to Legolas's skin.
"But they're so pretty," Red interjected, "it be a shame to lose something so fine."
"Oh, you'll get over it," Black told her. "Besides, no one is going to miss one, dingy Ranger."
"This is no mere Ranger," Legolas chided, "he is Aragorn, son of Arathorn."
"Well woop-de-doo," Black said, waving her hand around her head.
"And heir to the throne of Gondor!" the Elf added.
"Is he now?" Black asked. "That's interesting."
"Cool!" Red shouted. "I got a Ranger and a King all in one go!"
"Shut up, Red," Black spat. "Heir, you say? So he is not King yet? Well then I suppose no one knows he is the all mighty heir," she mused. "So I doubt it would make much difference to the people if I killed him."
"Aye, but I doubt Thrandruil will be too pleased at finding his son's been murdered."
Black and Red wheeled around, to find Blue leaning against a nearby tree.
"Shut up, and stay there!" Black demanded. "You've caused enough trouble."
"More like prevented it," Blue said.
"I said shut up!" Black screeched.
"Aluhin," Legolas sighed.
"You can shut up too," Black said.
Legolas glared at the hooded woman. "You kidnapped her, and are forcing her to do your will, though she has done nothing to you!"
"No, no, my lad. I can assure you I cannot force her to do anything she does not truly want to do. And she does have somewhat of a debt to pay." Blue's hand fluttered over her abdomen, where a small pink scar was the only evidence of an attempted execution.
"Please, spare him," Blue pleaded.
"Who?" Black asked. "Him? or them? I didn't quite catch it."
"Couldn't we, I don't know," Blue said, "keep them prisoner until it's all over?"
"That would only complicate things further, and we'd be wanted for kidnapping. No, it'd be much easier just to kill them," Black insisted.
"But then you'd be wanted for murder," Blue pointed out.
Black stood silent in thought.
"We could keep them in the cellar," Red suggested.
Black looked back and forth between them all. Blue had pleading, desperate eyes (Black was still amazed at how stupid love made people), Red was somewhat hopeful-she didn't really like killing, but she really liked the man; and Aragorn and Legolas-they were just very lost and confused, not to mention extremely frustrated.
"All right," Black sighed, letting her arm drop. "But that doesn't mean there won't be pain and torture," she warned. "Bind their hands and cover their eyes. And put a gag in their mouths. The last thing I need is the whimsy, nonsensical musing of some Woodland Fairy," she muttered.
"If you deliver the Ring," Aragorn said suddenly before Red had the chance to gag him, "we would leave and let you do as you would-no hindrance."
Black's eyes grew slightly larger.
"Ring?" piped Red. She lifted up her hands. "I have lots of rings. You have a nice ring," she told Aragorn. "I like rings." She grinned.
Aragorn ignored her and continued to stare intently at Black.
"What's it worth to ye?" Black asked.
"Its value cannot be measured in silver or gold," Aragorn responded.
"Can it not?" Black tilted her head. "Then I am afraid your offer is of no value to me."
Before the man could say any more, Red slipped a faded green cloth into his mouth, and another, darker one over his eyes. "Come along, my little Ranger."
The women them proceeded to guide their prisoners back to camp. And amid all the jostling, Aragorn never noticed Red casually slip his ring of his finger.
- - - - - - -
A/N: Almost complete! Just a few more chapters! And just so you know the last two chapters go by pretty quick. There is going to be sequel to this story, but if I do not get any REVIEWS (hint, hint) I might not be compelled to post it. SO PLEASE RESPOND!
Chapter 18 - But They're So Pretty!
Early the next morning Red went off in search of Legolas. He was not hard to find, for he was in the same spot she had run into him before.
That's odd, she thought, he's been here for two days. I wonder if he's waiting for someone?
She stepped out onto the path and the Elf looked up.
"Aluhin," he said.
"Come here," said Blue, "I want to show you something." She grasped his hand and lead him into the forest.
"Where are we going?" Legolas asked.
The woman said nothing. Slowly she let go of his hand and began to walk faster.
"Wait." the Elf said as Blue disappeared in to the trees. "Aluhin!" he cried.
Suddenly, someone jumped him from behind, knocking him to his knees. He reached for his knives, but found himself weaponless. Before he could react, his attacker had a rope tied around his wrists and another around his feet.
He was tightly bound and gagged when Blue stepped around to face him.
"Anu -nn." he said through a muffled mouth.
"Sshh." Blue said, placing a finger on the Elf's lips.
All of the sudden Blue began to warp. Her features became distorted, her hair grew longer and the brown faded into blonde. She grew taller and broader, and her eyes turned blue. All at once, Blue became Red.
"Legolas, darling," she said in mock sincerity, "it never would have worked out between us. I'm sorry." She pulled a dark cloth over Legolas's eyes and calmly walked away.
"Well, that was much easier than I thought it would be," she muttered to herself as she vanished into the underbrush.
Blue was sanding, Green was nailing boards together, and Black was rummaging around in the storage cellar when Red waltzed into camp.
"Problem solved," she said cheerily as Black emerged with a large wagon wheel strewn over her shoulder.
"Whoa," Red mumbled.
"So?" Black asked, setting the wheel down. "You fixed everything?"
"Oh yeah, right," Red stuttered, taking her eyes of the heavy piece of woodwork. "I took care of it. We won't be needing to worry about him anymore."
"Who? What?" asked Blue.
"I'm sorry, Blue," Red said, "but I had to do it."
"Do what? What did you do?" she asked frantically.
"He would have only caused trouble."
"What did you do?!"
"I didn't have a choice."
Blue gasped. "You killed him!?"
"Oh, no, no," Red assured her. "I try to avoid killing people. It gives me nightmares. I just tied him up and left him for the spiders."
"You WHAT!" Blue shrieked. She threw away her tools and started to run.
Black grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Leave it," she ordered.
"But he'll die!" Blue protested.
"He is no longer your concern," Black told her, "forget about him."
"I can't forget about him," Blue whispered as Black pushed her back to her work station.
Blue went back to her task, however, she was already formulating a way to sneak off. But every time she tried to leave Black was always there. Well, almost always, anyway.
Several days later the women had the beginnings of a nice pair of wooden wagons.
The peace of their camp during lunch was interrupted dramatically when Red came in, panting and out of breath.
"We got a problem," she gasped.
Black jumped up. "A problem?"
"Well, more like two problems," confessed Red. "The Elf - he escaped - somehow. I saw him with Aragob not a mile to the south."
"Aragorn?"
"Yeah, that's what I said."
"Sh^t!" cursed Black.
Black made to leave, then thinking better of it, went over to Blue, who was trying hard not to look guilty.
"Do us a favor," she said, "I know it's hard for you, but please, stay here. And try not to do anything.stupid." Black glared at Blue briefly, then rushed off after Red.
"Stupid." muttered Blue, "who does she think she is? Leaving an innocent Elf bound and gagged in the middle of the forest? Not stupid.moral."
"You did it, didn't you?" Green asked. Blue did not reply.
"She'll have your head for this, I hope you know."
"Humph," Blue grunted.
She waited for Green to immerse herself in her work before tip-toeing into the trees to follow Red and Black.
"I'm going to roast her hide on a spit," Black growled.
"Sh!" Red ordered.
".And then she turned into some blonde woman in red right before my eyes!" Legolas whispered.
"You changed?! Right in front of him?" Black hissed.
"Well, I didn't think he'd live tell about it!"
"What was that?" Legolas asked suddenly.
Red and Black ducked behind a pair of trees. Aragorn drew his sword and started walking in the direction of the two women. Legolas pulled out his bow, which was quite useless really, since he had no arrows.
As Aragorn approached the women's hiding place, the two simultaneously took out their swords and placed them at the man's throat.
They stepped out from behind the trunks and advanced upon Aragorn, pushing him back to the path where Legolas stood dumbfounded.
Red stayed with Aragorn as Black went to point her sword at the Elf.
"You," Legolas snarled.
"Ah, yes," Black said, "it is I, the one your friend so fondly refers to as Aegnor, fell-fire. Tell me, how is he?"
"I warned you of what would happen if you dared to enter this forest again," Legolas said, ignoring the sarcasm in the woman's voice.
"Aye, indeed I remember. And that is why it is so tragic that you had to stumble upon us," Black replied. "For now that you have, I have no other choice but to kill you." Black pressed her sword closer to Legolas's skin.
"But they're so pretty," Red interjected, "it be a shame to lose something so fine."
"Oh, you'll get over it," Black told her. "Besides, no one is going to miss one, dingy Ranger."
"This is no mere Ranger," Legolas chided, "he is Aragorn, son of Arathorn."
"Well woop-de-doo," Black said, waving her hand around her head.
"And heir to the throne of Gondor!" the Elf added.
"Is he now?" Black asked. "That's interesting."
"Cool!" Red shouted. "I got a Ranger and a King all in one go!"
"Shut up, Red," Black spat. "Heir, you say? So he is not King yet? Well then I suppose no one knows he is the all mighty heir," she mused. "So I doubt it would make much difference to the people if I killed him."
"Aye, but I doubt Thrandruil will be too pleased at finding his son's been murdered."
Black and Red wheeled around, to find Blue leaning against a nearby tree.
"Shut up, and stay there!" Black demanded. "You've caused enough trouble."
"More like prevented it," Blue said.
"I said shut up!" Black screeched.
"Aluhin," Legolas sighed.
"You can shut up too," Black said.
Legolas glared at the hooded woman. "You kidnapped her, and are forcing her to do your will, though she has done nothing to you!"
"No, no, my lad. I can assure you I cannot force her to do anything she does not truly want to do. And she does have somewhat of a debt to pay." Blue's hand fluttered over her abdomen, where a small pink scar was the only evidence of an attempted execution.
"Please, spare him," Blue pleaded.
"Who?" Black asked. "Him? or them? I didn't quite catch it."
"Couldn't we, I don't know," Blue said, "keep them prisoner until it's all over?"
"That would only complicate things further, and we'd be wanted for kidnapping. No, it'd be much easier just to kill them," Black insisted.
"But then you'd be wanted for murder," Blue pointed out.
Black stood silent in thought.
"We could keep them in the cellar," Red suggested.
Black looked back and forth between them all. Blue had pleading, desperate eyes (Black was still amazed at how stupid love made people), Red was somewhat hopeful-she didn't really like killing, but she really liked the man; and Aragorn and Legolas-they were just very lost and confused, not to mention extremely frustrated.
"All right," Black sighed, letting her arm drop. "But that doesn't mean there won't be pain and torture," she warned. "Bind their hands and cover their eyes. And put a gag in their mouths. The last thing I need is the whimsy, nonsensical musing of some Woodland Fairy," she muttered.
"If you deliver the Ring," Aragorn said suddenly before Red had the chance to gag him, "we would leave and let you do as you would-no hindrance."
Black's eyes grew slightly larger.
"Ring?" piped Red. She lifted up her hands. "I have lots of rings. You have a nice ring," she told Aragorn. "I like rings." She grinned.
Aragorn ignored her and continued to stare intently at Black.
"What's it worth to ye?" Black asked.
"Its value cannot be measured in silver or gold," Aragorn responded.
"Can it not?" Black tilted her head. "Then I am afraid your offer is of no value to me."
Before the man could say any more, Red slipped a faded green cloth into his mouth, and another, darker one over his eyes. "Come along, my little Ranger."
The women them proceeded to guide their prisoners back to camp. And amid all the jostling, Aragorn never noticed Red casually slip his ring of his finger.
- - - - - - -
A/N: Almost complete! Just a few more chapters! And just so you know the last two chapters go by pretty quick. There is going to be sequel to this story, but if I do not get any REVIEWS (hint, hint) I might not be compelled to post it. SO PLEASE RESPOND!