Dreamcast I: Become A Believer
Chapter 6: Reaching Out
Rating: R (for mild language, suggestive themes, some sexuality)
Summary: Rivers is thrown into Middle Earth in a freak car accident.
Somewhere between killing orcs, riding fell beasts, and snogging elves, she
realizes it's more than just a dream and living hell . . . because there is
no going back!
Feedback: nano_starr@metrodesic.com
Bounce.
Bounce.
Bounce.
Shudder.
"I'm awake!" She lunged and thudded on the ground. She lunged again. Only a squabble of stones answered her. Someone steadied her, and she shivered.
A tingly feeling washed over her as blood crept back into her frostbitten limbs, the sensation confusing her. The trickling dazed her, stopping after a bit.
"Good to know you can move again."
She wrenched her eyes open. Legolas smiled, inches away. He had swept her into his arms, one behind her shoulders, the other tucked in the notch of her knees.
"I can walk, you know."
"Don't rush your recovery."
"So I'm going to let you hold me? I don't think so." She squirmed. He resisted. "Look, this is embarrassing. Put me down."
"It's embarrassing, but when you're slung over my shoulder in the mines it will be worse." He shifted her in his grip. "You will be on your feet by then, if you rest a bit."
Rivers sighed. "Fine, but this sucks."
"Does than mean you hate it?"
"How old are you?"
"Oh."
"Sorry about the randomness. But 'this sucks' means, err, dammit, I guess."
"Why did you pick 'this sucks'?"
"Don't go there. But it sucks because I feel really stupid." She felt disloyal to Kyler and shut her mouth, a pang of guilt swimming though her. They traveled down the wall until nightfall, but Rivers head was lolling against Legolas' shoulder before they reached the shining doors of Moria.
Legolas sat on a rock, shaking Rivers slightly. "Wake up."
"Nottasleep."
She rubbed her eyes and sat up. "Can I walk now?"
He slid away from her, grasping her hands. "Let's try."
Her eyes glazed as the sizzling fire of his touch slithered up her arms. Her eyes smoldered into twin fires, exploring the emotionless depths of his oceanic gaze. Her chest was hardly enduring the throttle of blood, her heart throwing itself against her chest desperately. Testing her weight gingerly, she stood up, and stepped.
Agony buckled her knees, but he was there. He swept her back into his arms, twirling her gracefully to kill her momentum. He was so strong, like steel, and so very male. But in his touch, Rivers found compassion and an angry gentleness.
"Don't be screwing around, you two!" Gimli poked his axe at them.
Rivers noticed Gandalf pondering upon a large stone before the glowing runes of Moria. "Hey! I know the answer!"
He broke his melancholy as Legolas approached him with Rivers strung in hands. She said excitedly, "The answer is-"
"Lady Brind'Amour, please." He seems calm. "Do not break your promise. Legolas, go."
He turned away, carried a very cross Rivers. He asked, "Promise?"
"Another long story. I'll show him." She rolled over and shouted at the door, "I'd kill for a MELON!"
The doors shivered in the stone, and Merry stopped throwing rocks. They swung open and a dank shadow drifted out. Gandalf stormed over to Rivers, jabbing her angrily with his staff. "Fool! It is best to hold to your promises, and please do. Think of it as a bond."
Rivers spat, "Well, sorry, Mr. Hanky-pants. Just trying to help." A grim smile was set across her lips as the wizard swept into whisper into her ear. Fear plagued her heart, but did not touch her face.
"Mistakes will get you nowhere, child."
She sighed. Mistakes got her into trouble. "I'm—I'm sorry."
"Come now." A wave crashed on the shore.
Rivers remembered. "Legolas, hurry."
"Why?"
Bound to the promise, she murmured something but he whisked along anyway. Gimli whistled, "Soon, master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves. Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone. This, my friend, is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine!"
Lumpy forms dotted the floor. Rivers shouted, "They're dead! Oh, how sick!" while thumping Legolas on the arms. She ordered him to put her down on the floor, which he did.
"Goblins!" he exclaimed after pulling an arrow from a skull.
"Quick, everyone out!"
Legolas lost her in the dark, but Rivers crawled deeper into the crypt. She heard Frodo scream and whisked around.
Dangling by his stumpy hobbit legs, Frodo was thrashing in the grip of a mammoth octopus with Sam, Boromir, and Aragorn plunging in to the water to help.
His bow was out before Rivers wondered why Legolas' arrow had flown. It stuck the thing it the tentacle with Frodo. But the appendage toppled after a blow from Boromir, who tossed the shivering hobbit into the mine. Rivers scrambled forward, but her hand sunk into the rotten flesh of a long-dead dwarf. Mere reflex set her off, screaming and flailing.
"Legolas! Aim for the eye!"
The Watcher recoiled, sinking into the water and dragging the archway down with it. Rubble tumbled and Rivers continued to yell. When the dust cleared, Gandalf lit his staff. Legolas found her in light, yanking the skull off her hand. The decayed brain of the shriveled corpse dribbled down her fingers.
Legolas held her as she hitched. "Go on. You're entitled."
Gandalf wiped it away, saying, "We now have but one choice. We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world."
They traveled up staircases, down steep stonewalls, and through vast hallways. Legolas eventually Rivers use her feet, but she leaned on him for support and out of fear. The suspense was overwhelming.
Gandalf stopped them in a small alcove. "We rest here tonight."
The dead bodies fueled the campfire, bugs recoiling from the heat as smell. Rivers found a stone bench to sit on and she did so, enfolded in her red cloak. She was a bit distant from the group but no more than 10 yards.
Legolas came over and sat down on the bench with her, joining her absolute melancholy in an endless vigil over the horrible caverns of Moria, the realm of Balin.
"Thanks for saving me. Both times."
"I'll claim my reward for now."
Somewhere in there, Rivers drifted into a troubled sleep and Legolas carried her back, smiling gaily to himself.
Bounce.
Bounce.
Bounce.
Shudder.
"I'm awake!" She lunged and thudded on the ground. She lunged again. Only a squabble of stones answered her. Someone steadied her, and she shivered.
A tingly feeling washed over her as blood crept back into her frostbitten limbs, the sensation confusing her. The trickling dazed her, stopping after a bit.
"Good to know you can move again."
She wrenched her eyes open. Legolas smiled, inches away. He had swept her into his arms, one behind her shoulders, the other tucked in the notch of her knees.
"I can walk, you know."
"Don't rush your recovery."
"So I'm going to let you hold me? I don't think so." She squirmed. He resisted. "Look, this is embarrassing. Put me down."
"It's embarrassing, but when you're slung over my shoulder in the mines it will be worse." He shifted her in his grip. "You will be on your feet by then, if you rest a bit."
Rivers sighed. "Fine, but this sucks."
"Does than mean you hate it?"
"How old are you?"
"Oh."
"Sorry about the randomness. But 'this sucks' means, err, dammit, I guess."
"Why did you pick 'this sucks'?"
"Don't go there. But it sucks because I feel really stupid." She felt disloyal to Kyler and shut her mouth, a pang of guilt swimming though her. They traveled down the wall until nightfall, but Rivers head was lolling against Legolas' shoulder before they reached the shining doors of Moria.
Legolas sat on a rock, shaking Rivers slightly. "Wake up."
"Nottasleep."
She rubbed her eyes and sat up. "Can I walk now?"
He slid away from her, grasping her hands. "Let's try."
Her eyes glazed as the sizzling fire of his touch slithered up her arms. Her eyes smoldered into twin fires, exploring the emotionless depths of his oceanic gaze. Her chest was hardly enduring the throttle of blood, her heart throwing itself against her chest desperately. Testing her weight gingerly, she stood up, and stepped.
Agony buckled her knees, but he was there. He swept her back into his arms, twirling her gracefully to kill her momentum. He was so strong, like steel, and so very male. But in his touch, Rivers found compassion and an angry gentleness.
"Don't be screwing around, you two!" Gimli poked his axe at them.
Rivers noticed Gandalf pondering upon a large stone before the glowing runes of Moria. "Hey! I know the answer!"
He broke his melancholy as Legolas approached him with Rivers strung in hands. She said excitedly, "The answer is-"
"Lady Brind'Amour, please." He seems calm. "Do not break your promise. Legolas, go."
He turned away, carried a very cross Rivers. He asked, "Promise?"
"Another long story. I'll show him." She rolled over and shouted at the door, "I'd kill for a MELON!"
The doors shivered in the stone, and Merry stopped throwing rocks. They swung open and a dank shadow drifted out. Gandalf stormed over to Rivers, jabbing her angrily with his staff. "Fool! It is best to hold to your promises, and please do. Think of it as a bond."
Rivers spat, "Well, sorry, Mr. Hanky-pants. Just trying to help." A grim smile was set across her lips as the wizard swept into whisper into her ear. Fear plagued her heart, but did not touch her face.
"Mistakes will get you nowhere, child."
She sighed. Mistakes got her into trouble. "I'm—I'm sorry."
"Come now." A wave crashed on the shore.
Rivers remembered. "Legolas, hurry."
"Why?"
Bound to the promise, she murmured something but he whisked along anyway. Gimli whistled, "Soon, master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves. Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone. This, my friend, is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine!"
Lumpy forms dotted the floor. Rivers shouted, "They're dead! Oh, how sick!" while thumping Legolas on the arms. She ordered him to put her down on the floor, which he did.
"Goblins!" he exclaimed after pulling an arrow from a skull.
"Quick, everyone out!"
Legolas lost her in the dark, but Rivers crawled deeper into the crypt. She heard Frodo scream and whisked around.
Dangling by his stumpy hobbit legs, Frodo was thrashing in the grip of a mammoth octopus with Sam, Boromir, and Aragorn plunging in to the water to help.
His bow was out before Rivers wondered why Legolas' arrow had flown. It stuck the thing it the tentacle with Frodo. But the appendage toppled after a blow from Boromir, who tossed the shivering hobbit into the mine. Rivers scrambled forward, but her hand sunk into the rotten flesh of a long-dead dwarf. Mere reflex set her off, screaming and flailing.
"Legolas! Aim for the eye!"
The Watcher recoiled, sinking into the water and dragging the archway down with it. Rubble tumbled and Rivers continued to yell. When the dust cleared, Gandalf lit his staff. Legolas found her in light, yanking the skull off her hand. The decayed brain of the shriveled corpse dribbled down her fingers.
Legolas held her as she hitched. "Go on. You're entitled."
Gandalf wiped it away, saying, "We now have but one choice. We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world."
They traveled up staircases, down steep stonewalls, and through vast hallways. Legolas eventually Rivers use her feet, but she leaned on him for support and out of fear. The suspense was overwhelming.
Gandalf stopped them in a small alcove. "We rest here tonight."
The dead bodies fueled the campfire, bugs recoiling from the heat as smell. Rivers found a stone bench to sit on and she did so, enfolded in her red cloak. She was a bit distant from the group but no more than 10 yards.
Legolas came over and sat down on the bench with her, joining her absolute melancholy in an endless vigil over the horrible caverns of Moria, the realm of Balin.
"Thanks for saving me. Both times."
"I'll claim my reward for now."
Somewhere in there, Rivers drifted into a troubled sleep and Legolas carried her back, smiling gaily to himself.