The Unwanted Visitors
Brier - POV
March was almost over, and Agador and I were in high spirits. She was looking forward to seeing the Lorien elves again, and wouldn't stop talking about what the rest may be like. All day we would walk through the forest, telling stories of what our lives would be like in 20 years. She imagined being on great adventures, and together we would slay dragons and meet dwarves, and be the guests of Kings in high towers. I imagined being stuck in our village, although I would like to believe what Agador dreamed would come true. She carved the wooden sword she had been wanting over the many weeks we spent indoors due to the cold. It was quite good, for a wooden sword. I taught her all I'd learned from Dorinthian, and she learned very fast. That day we were going to a spot she'd heard of that had been cleared, so we could work on her footing. Agador is a clumsy girl for her heritage, but with how she learns things so quickly, I'm very sure she'll catch on. As we moved over a small hill Agador gave a small cry.
"There it is!" she squeaked, and ran the rest of the way into the clearing. She stopped when she reached the top of the hill, and stood as still as a statue, frozen in terror.
"What is it?" I asked, but she said nothing, only dropping to her stomach in the damp leaves. She dragged me down with her. I began to speak again, but she stopped me.
"Dreadful, ugly," she began, but stopped to listen. I, too, heard voices, speaking a language I'd never heard before. They began to yell, and Agador got up noiselessly and pulled me up with her. We raced behind a tree down the hillside and there she spoke.
"We must go, I think those are Orcs." And then she grabbed my hand and we ran a long way back to the village.
We were so out of breath when we got there we couldn't speak. Agador ran up to the first person she saw, and collapsed in their arms. It was a young girl, whose name I didn't know.
"What is it, young girl?" she asked Agador, and I came running up.
"We.we saw these." I began, and Agador burst out,
"Orcs! In the forest! We saw them! They were fighting, and they.Orcs!" she stammered, and fell out of the girls arms onto the ground. The girl then turned to me.
"Is that truly what you saw? Tell the truth, boy!"
"I. I think they were Orcs, horrible looking things, ugly skin, and" I was cut short. The woman rushed to Entälenir's hut, but some people who were standing nearby heard, and mumbled to themselves. Many rushed to their huts, as the woman shouted through the village yelling "Orcs! Orcs in the forest! Grab your arms! Orcs!" I nealt to where Agador lie, and brushed her brown hair out of her face.
"Agador, can you sit up?" I asked, and tried to lift her. She was usually very easy to lift, but my hands were shaking. She managed to sit up on her own, and looked at me with a frightened glance.
"Brier?" she asked. "Have we enough men to fight the Orcs?"
"Most likely," I replied, "there were very few Orcs in that company." Agador nodded, and stood up slowly.
"Will we be allowed to go?" she asked.
"I doubt it, we are very young, you know." I replied. Agador nodded and reached for the wooden sword in her belt.
"But we can pretend," she smiled, and pulled the sword from it's resting spot. She swung it wildly through the air, slashing invisibly Orcs. Dorinthian rushed up behind her, and grasped her wrist as she raised the sword high in the air.
"No, not this battle," he said, and kissed her on the forehead. Other elves were reappearing from their huts, bows ready for use. They all made their way into the forest, following the clear path we had made in the underbrush. My heart beat faster as I thought of the danger Orcs could be to our village. But then I looked at Agador, and she had a twinkle in her eye I only see when she's aching for adventure.
"Should we follow them?" she asked me, mischievously smirking at me, but still watching the trees.
"Of course not! We could be hurt!" I replied, although I wanted to join the fighters as well. I heard Entälenir give orders to the group from inside the forest.
"We wouldn't be fighting, just making sure they know the way." Agador always had a way to twist words so that it would seem like aiding instead of foolishness. "Come on!" she urged, and started to walk back to the trees.
"No!" I cried, and grabbed her shoulder. She brushed me off.
"But don't you want to have an adventure? You always say that the village bores you." Agador argued. She started to walk back towards the forest, but Aneria hurried past me and picked her up by the waist.
"Not this time! Only the men are to leave!" Aneria scolded, and carried Agador back to their hut kicking and screaming.
"But I only want to make sure they find the spot!" she cried.
"They won't have any trouble with that, I'm sure," Aneria said, and sat Agador down on her straw mat. I sat down beside her in the warm hut. Agador pouted her lips and hunched her shoulders.
"There will be more fights, I promise." I said, and put one arm around Agador. She smiled and leaned into my body. Even when she acted like a baby and threw a fit she was perfect to me.
"Part of me wishes there was, but another part wishes there was no fighting in this world. Lives will be lost, no doubt about it." A single tear rolled down her cheek, and I remorsed with her. There we sat for half an hour, until Aneria called us to lunch. Very few ate a full meal, for we were all tense. But sure enough, about two hours later Entälenir emerged from the forest, carrying a young elf. His shoulder was bloody through the tunic he wore. Dorinthian followed directly behind Entälenir, looking weary. He followed Entälenir into his hut without saying a word. One of the fighters sat with our group, who were before gazing at clouds.
"The Orcs surprised one of our warriors, and struck a blow to his shoulder. It can easily be mended, but Geldrian will be weak for some time." The warrior said, and hung his head. Geldrian I guessed was the hurt elf's name. None of us spoke, and for the rest of the day we spent in disturbed silence.
March was almost over, and Agador and I were in high spirits. She was looking forward to seeing the Lorien elves again, and wouldn't stop talking about what the rest may be like. All day we would walk through the forest, telling stories of what our lives would be like in 20 years. She imagined being on great adventures, and together we would slay dragons and meet dwarves, and be the guests of Kings in high towers. I imagined being stuck in our village, although I would like to believe what Agador dreamed would come true. She carved the wooden sword she had been wanting over the many weeks we spent indoors due to the cold. It was quite good, for a wooden sword. I taught her all I'd learned from Dorinthian, and she learned very fast. That day we were going to a spot she'd heard of that had been cleared, so we could work on her footing. Agador is a clumsy girl for her heritage, but with how she learns things so quickly, I'm very sure she'll catch on. As we moved over a small hill Agador gave a small cry.
"There it is!" she squeaked, and ran the rest of the way into the clearing. She stopped when she reached the top of the hill, and stood as still as a statue, frozen in terror.
"What is it?" I asked, but she said nothing, only dropping to her stomach in the damp leaves. She dragged me down with her. I began to speak again, but she stopped me.
"Dreadful, ugly," she began, but stopped to listen. I, too, heard voices, speaking a language I'd never heard before. They began to yell, and Agador got up noiselessly and pulled me up with her. We raced behind a tree down the hillside and there she spoke.
"We must go, I think those are Orcs." And then she grabbed my hand and we ran a long way back to the village.
We were so out of breath when we got there we couldn't speak. Agador ran up to the first person she saw, and collapsed in their arms. It was a young girl, whose name I didn't know.
"What is it, young girl?" she asked Agador, and I came running up.
"We.we saw these." I began, and Agador burst out,
"Orcs! In the forest! We saw them! They were fighting, and they.Orcs!" she stammered, and fell out of the girls arms onto the ground. The girl then turned to me.
"Is that truly what you saw? Tell the truth, boy!"
"I. I think they were Orcs, horrible looking things, ugly skin, and" I was cut short. The woman rushed to Entälenir's hut, but some people who were standing nearby heard, and mumbled to themselves. Many rushed to their huts, as the woman shouted through the village yelling "Orcs! Orcs in the forest! Grab your arms! Orcs!" I nealt to where Agador lie, and brushed her brown hair out of her face.
"Agador, can you sit up?" I asked, and tried to lift her. She was usually very easy to lift, but my hands were shaking. She managed to sit up on her own, and looked at me with a frightened glance.
"Brier?" she asked. "Have we enough men to fight the Orcs?"
"Most likely," I replied, "there were very few Orcs in that company." Agador nodded, and stood up slowly.
"Will we be allowed to go?" she asked.
"I doubt it, we are very young, you know." I replied. Agador nodded and reached for the wooden sword in her belt.
"But we can pretend," she smiled, and pulled the sword from it's resting spot. She swung it wildly through the air, slashing invisibly Orcs. Dorinthian rushed up behind her, and grasped her wrist as she raised the sword high in the air.
"No, not this battle," he said, and kissed her on the forehead. Other elves were reappearing from their huts, bows ready for use. They all made their way into the forest, following the clear path we had made in the underbrush. My heart beat faster as I thought of the danger Orcs could be to our village. But then I looked at Agador, and she had a twinkle in her eye I only see when she's aching for adventure.
"Should we follow them?" she asked me, mischievously smirking at me, but still watching the trees.
"Of course not! We could be hurt!" I replied, although I wanted to join the fighters as well. I heard Entälenir give orders to the group from inside the forest.
"We wouldn't be fighting, just making sure they know the way." Agador always had a way to twist words so that it would seem like aiding instead of foolishness. "Come on!" she urged, and started to walk back to the trees.
"No!" I cried, and grabbed her shoulder. She brushed me off.
"But don't you want to have an adventure? You always say that the village bores you." Agador argued. She started to walk back towards the forest, but Aneria hurried past me and picked her up by the waist.
"Not this time! Only the men are to leave!" Aneria scolded, and carried Agador back to their hut kicking and screaming.
"But I only want to make sure they find the spot!" she cried.
"They won't have any trouble with that, I'm sure," Aneria said, and sat Agador down on her straw mat. I sat down beside her in the warm hut. Agador pouted her lips and hunched her shoulders.
"There will be more fights, I promise." I said, and put one arm around Agador. She smiled and leaned into my body. Even when she acted like a baby and threw a fit she was perfect to me.
"Part of me wishes there was, but another part wishes there was no fighting in this world. Lives will be lost, no doubt about it." A single tear rolled down her cheek, and I remorsed with her. There we sat for half an hour, until Aneria called us to lunch. Very few ate a full meal, for we were all tense. But sure enough, about two hours later Entälenir emerged from the forest, carrying a young elf. His shoulder was bloody through the tunic he wore. Dorinthian followed directly behind Entälenir, looking weary. He followed Entälenir into his hut without saying a word. One of the fighters sat with our group, who were before gazing at clouds.
"The Orcs surprised one of our warriors, and struck a blow to his shoulder. It can easily be mended, but Geldrian will be weak for some time." The warrior said, and hung his head. Geldrian I guessed was the hurt elf's name. None of us spoke, and for the rest of the day we spent in disturbed silence.
