Title: Diplomacy Part 39

Author: Arisma

Rating: R (for some naughty, naughty bits... and some foul language.)

Disclaimer: Legolas, Mirkwood, Thranduil... all of that is Tolkiens. I'm just taking them out to play with, cause they're shiny. I will put them back in the box, in the proper order, when I'm done. I also promise to wipe the drool off of Legolas and any excess that might have gotten on any of the other characters by proxy.

The basic concept of bladesingers and the title querimhinue is the property of WoTC, and I'm merely borrowing those too.

I do claim The Quel, both Nessar and A'Har as my own. Rhyalla, Kallo, Kailin, all mine. The waste, Tir Roac and all future 'non-canon' locations are the product of my mind as well. When I'm done with them I'll put them back in my own teeny box of creations, next to the cedar wood butterfly and the sculpy clay horns. (Don't ask.) If for some strange reason you'd like to borrow them or the settings, feel free to contact me and we'll work out details.

Feedback / Contact: Arisma_@hotmail.com

-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-Blades flashed in the deepening glow of twilight, reflecting the coral sky as the crossed and met and crossed again. Both combatants were bathed in sweat, eyes gleaming, focused solely on one another. A daring maneuver brought one blade dangerously close to an unarmored body, only by sucking in her stomach and falling back several steps did she manage to avoid injury.

"Oof!"

Her eyes grew wider as he smiled, his pale eyes sparkling with both the reflected sunset and mirth. "Almost had you, Ry." he chuckled, the smile slipping as she darted back in, blade held at an angle.

With a growl she began to spin, feet a blur as she changed stance constantly to allow the sweep of her blade to continue in a gleaming arc. Suddenly Kailin found himself hard pressed, solely defensive now, stepping nimbly, sword slamming time and again against the flashing blade of his opponent.

"No fair!" he cried, barely missing a jab as his opponent spun nearer and nearer.

No answer was forthcoming, indeed it seemed his griping only served to increase the tempo of her steps, blades ringing in a near constant clang of metal on metal. Finally, desperate, he dove straight forward, tucking tight, rolling underneath her supposed range. At the last minute she caught his movement, halting mid swing, snapping her blade over her head and back, meeting flesh as she brought it down.

His eyes widened and he dropped his weapon, bringing his hand up to his ribs and grimacing as he pulled the fingers away, damp with his own blood. "Dammit woman!" he moaned, lying flat on the sand, breathing hard.

Immediately she stopped, rushed towards him, falling to her knees at his side. "Kailin! I didn't mean to... are you alright?" she asked, hastily pulling at his shirt and peering at the wound she'd inadvertently caused.

He slapped her hands away, leaning his head back and sighing. "No, it was my fault. It's ok, not very deep."

She sat silently, eyes fixed on the blood welling from the shallow cut. Finally, after long moments, he sat up, holding a hand to the wound as he did. He sighed, looking at her anxious face and reached with his free hand to grasp her chin, tilting her eyes to meet his own. "It's alright, Rhya. I'll be fine."

She raised a hand and clasped his forearm, frowning, eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I told you we should have stayed with the practice weapons."

Tenderly he ran his thumb along her jaw line. "Nonsense. I've had worse than this from a rough night of loving." She continued to frown, pausing only long enough to snort at the suggestive leer on his fine features. "Well, I have." he continued, releasing her chin and standing carefully.

She remained kneeling, an almost pleading look on her face. A silence stretched and then he extended his free hand again, motioning her to take it. "C'mon then, you best clean it, make sure I don't die. Then you'd feel really bad, wouldn't you?"

His tone was joking but there was no humor in her voice when she replied. "Yes, I would."

"Oh, shut up. Now hurry up and clean this so we can get back to camp. The men are due back tomorrow and I'm guessing you'll want some beauty sleep tonight. You certainly won't be sleeping much once Leaf gets back."

She blushed furiously, slapping him lightly on the shoulder. He winced dramatically, his voice quavering with mock agony. "Here I am, at deaths door, and still you beat me! Cruel, cruel woman."

Without waiting for a reply he stripped his shirt off and sat on a large rock, watching as she heated water over the fire, poking at the embers to speed the process. When it finally met her satisfaction she took a dipper of it, filling a smaller bowl and kneeling by his side with a pile of soft cloths. She shifted about, moving so that her body did not block the light form the fire, leaning forward and inspecting the wound.

It was deeper than he had let on, laced throughout with sand from his impromptu tumble. She Tsk'd softly, bringing a damp cloth to the cut, wiping gently at the caked material. He hissed in breath, clenching his fingers on her shoulders, digging painfully into her flesh. Steadfastly ignoring the pain it caused she continued cleaning, smiling slightly at the way he carried on, gasping every time she touched anywhere near the hurt area, howling whenever she really began to clean.

His grip shifted to her hair and she actually sighed in relief, her scalp far less sensitive than her already sore arms. Nearly done, she heard a shuffling sound and her head flew up, scanning the area. "What was that?" she asked, her voice low.

"Nothing, nothing, just keep going. Please, Rhya." His voice was tremulous with pain and she snorted again, bending back to finish the task at hand. A few more minutes passed, him gasping and twitching, her intent on cleaning the wound as best she could with a squirming patient. Finally, convinced there was no more she could accomplish, she dropped the rag and stood, shrugging a bit to make him release her from his grip, which had settled again on her shoulders.

He released a shaky breath and lowered his gaze to meet hers. "Done?"

She nodded, wordlessly going about the business of packing up the campsite. After a few minutes he rose, easily falling into the routine of breaking camp. Finally, each laden with a heavy pack and a real and practice weapon strapped to their hips, they started out, still not speaking, their footsteps silent in the cool evening air.

As they started back into the valley they noticed the extra fire, the music drifting to them on the wind shortly after. Understanding the likely cause of the celebrations she stopped walking, her eyes wide in her stricken face. "Kailin..." she murmured, eyes glued to the distant celebration.

"Damn." he said, reaching out to grasp the pack she carried. "I got this, go on ahead. I'll see you back at camp."

She placed a tender hand on his cheek, smiling softly. "Thank you."

"Shut up and go." he replied, smiling.

With a beaming smile she spun, feet flying across the sand. He followed her progress with his eyes for some time before hefting the extra pack and starting to make his slow way home, blue eyes shadowed, lost in his own thoughts.

-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**-

A/N-

Wound cleaning. That's what you all assumed, right? Couldn't have been anything but. Now you know what was really going on... unfortunately our hot chunk-o-elf doesn't have internet access.

Ravenhart- Oh dear, what was it you thought was going on there? Tsk tsk. Naughty. ;)

Ellerina Rose- Fifty points for you! You figured out what was really happening with no help from little old me! Brava! Thanks for the welcome back, it's appreciated, but honestly Kris the Wonder Beta(tm) has first dibs on the kicking of Liras ass... she called it when the vicious little strumpet made her first appearance.

Crystal Snowflakes- You figured it out too! Since your review came in second though, you get a paltry 45 points. That and a buck fifty will buy a coffee. ;) Good job spotting the truth behind the innuendo.

Serena 75- Now now, I'm not exactly dangling the next chap like a carrot... more holding it behind my back saying "What?" while attempting to look innocent. Is it working?

Kate- Aw! Don't be upset! It'll all be alright in the... *coughs* Every cloud has a... *clears throat* They weren't really doing it, were they? So... yeah. It can't turn out that badly... right?

Funky- I'll get her out of it the best way possible... by having her be completely innocent! Well, not completely judging by the noises that occasionally drift from the corner of my brain their tent occupies, but for the sake of this argument, innocent.

Mucho Gracias to Kris the Wonder Beta. Seriously you all, if it weren't for her gentle prods and "Author time-out"(tm) chair this story would probably look very little like it does now. How about a couple "go Kris" in the next batch of reviews? It'd make my day.. and hers.

~Arisma~

The world is governed more by appearances than realities, so that it is fully as necessary to seem to know something as to know it.

Daniel Webster (1782 - 1852)